


Mazey's Oneshot Collection

by Mazanica



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Blue is Toy Bonnie, Chapter 4 includes talk about suicide, Chii is Toy Chica, I'll add character and relationship tags as I post, I'll post warnings and general info in the beginning of oneshots, It's a oneshot collection, Mangle's gender and name will vary, Multi, Now with 20 percent more magic, Now with badly drawn pictures, Now with lyrics lol, Red or Alfred is Toy Freddy, So the pairings and characters vary, Some oneshots may be related, There may be anthro AU stuff in here too, Vix is Female Mangle, zombie apocalypse AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-07
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 21:44:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 44
Words: 81,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7700836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mazanica/pseuds/Mazanica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collection of oneshots, ranging from canon to anthro AUs. Sometimes including excerpts from future and even current stories...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm Sorry

**Author's Note:**

> Okay this is just gonna be a collection of oneshots so I don’t have a million billion stories on my page from the various oneshots I have/am done/doing. Can’t promise all of them will be SFW, can’t promise they’ll all be happy, etc.
> 
> For example, this first oneshot takes place in my semi-canon compliant AU. Semi-compliant because it’s sentient but yeah.
> 
> Title: I'm Sorry  
> Warnings: Angst? Sentient animatronics, hinted slash romance, mentioned death, first person POV, dialogue sections, written at 1 AM  
> Pairings: Implied pre-romance Bonnie/Toy Bonnie

Finding out our friends were dead wasn’t the hard part.

It hurt, but when Freddy walked out of the back room with an old newspaper and Toy Freddy’s hat... when I found Blue’s guitar- and Foxy found Toy Foxy’s hook, and Chica found Toy Chica’s cupcake... It hurt, but it was easy.

The hard part was accepting it. The harder part was recognizing that they died in vain.

_“Eyewitness reports show that the animatronics had been acting strange. According to one of the patrons, who wishes to remain anonymous, once the animatronics got off stage, they “zeroed in on this guard and just started walking towards him,” eventually backing him up to the entrance of Kid’s Cove._

_““This should not have happened,” the manager insisted. “We will take appropriate action.”_

_““Jeremy Fitzgerald is a hero,” claims the guard in question. “The Mangle,” as the staff at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza call Toy Foxy, “leapt right for me, but he didn’t hesitate to jump in the way. I hope everything is alright in the end...”_

_“Frederick Fazbear, head of Fazbear Entertainment, has declared the Toy animatronics faulty. They will be immediately scrapped and Freddy Fazbear’s will not be reopening its doors once the missing children’s investigation has ended.”_

They died for _our_ cause- and still they failed. The children are still here with us. They got the wrong guy.

Some guy just _had_ to play hero...

Harder still are the memories. Remembering the days we spent together, as short as it was. It wasn’t... all happy, but... once we sorted everything out, it was great. We were friends. And... maybe we could have been more.

Now we’ll never know. It’s hard- not knowing. Not knowing what could have been. What would have been... what _should_ have been.

_“Hey, Bonnie, look, I found it! Now we can get you fixed up enough to play guitar. Huh? Why are you lookin’ at me like that? Wha- hey, let me go! Bonnie! A simple thanks would suffice, y’know! Put me down before you break your arm and I have to fix that too! Geez! Heheh...”_

_“Bonnie! You startled me. The guard’s being tricky, he’s using that stupid mask again I think. Wanna tag-team him? They usually crack really fast when we do that!”_

_“H-hey, I just... made this for you... Um- you don’t, uh, it’s fine if, y’know, you don’t like it, but I made it anyway. Um- oh, I think Red is calling me, I’ll see you later, Bonnie! Bye!”_

But... the hardest part... is that we never got to say goodbye.

I never got to say I’m sorry.

_“Bonnie, wai-!”_

_“Shut. Up. You were supposed to be_ watching! _You were supposed to_ protect _them! But you_ didn’t. _You’re a_ failure. _You’re just... just a useless piece of_ plastic. _Can’t even watch a few kids...”_

_“B-Bonnie, wait, please...!_

I didn’t stop. I never knew what he was gonna say...

He was crying. I remember that much. He was crying and so was I. They were just children. _Children._ And someone had killed them... killed them during the day.

We blamed them. Or... Foxy and I did. Chica refused to speak of the matter and Freddy was... much more logical than I was about it.

They were on stage, locked in place. Of course they weren’t able to do anything- none of them knew how to bypass the programming. They were young... they were new. They understood, they saw, but they couldn’t move and they couldn’t figure out how to bypass the locks.

Just like they couldn’t bypass that stupid facial recognition crap.

_“They messed with our facial scanners! Our_ facial scanners! _Don’t they even_ care _now we see_ every adult _as a criminal?! I nearly tore a woman’s face off for getting near her own son! I don’t like this, what are we supposed to do?!”_

_“I feel like we’ve been doomed to fail.”_

I close my eyes and listen to the sounds around me- the silence of the night. It’s been so long since we’ve seen them- so long... we’re back in business, but I doubt it’ll be for much longer. Too many nightguards, losing too much business, too much... everything.

We aren’t the same animatronics we were back then. Time and circumstance has weighed us down.

First we lost Fredbear, then we lost Spring Bonnie. Now we have Golden Freddy, an empty haunted suit with no memories of us or Spring Bonnie... Then we lost them. The Toys. It had been like we were rebuilding our family, making new friends and expanding. We had Red, we had Blue, we had Chii, we had Vix, we had Marion, we even had Balloon Boy...

And the last thing I ever said to any of them was that they were useless.

I said _Blue_ was useless... and that just isn’t true.

It’s 1993.

_“Freddy...? Where are we?”_

_“It looks like we’re on stage.”_

_“But where?”_

_“I’m... not sure. Maybe the Toys will know.”_

_“I have no interest in talking to_ them _right now.”_

_“Bonnie, you can’t blame them. It was beyond their control.”_

_“Whatever. I’m gonna look around. We’re definitely in a Freddy Fazbear’s... Geez, how long were we off? Wait... why do we look different? Were we recommissioned?”_

_“Not a clue, laddie.”_

_“Guys...”_

_“Yeah, Freddy?”_

_“It’s a good thing, Bonnie, that you... you don’t want to... talk to the Toys.”_

_“Thanks for seeing it my way. Where are they, anyway? Out of curiosity.”_

_“They’re dead.”_

I hadn’t even known that much time passed. We reopened in 1990.

Three years later.

Three years. Blue and the others had been dead for _three years._ And the proof was all in that newspaper article... in the parts we found in the backroom... in Blue’s guitar, in Red’s hat, Vix’s hook, Chii’s cupcake... Marion’s music box, BB’s balloon sign...

Holding his guitar is hard. It’s smaller than mine, but that isn’t what I mean. Just looking at it reminds me of everything that should have happened- everything that should _not_ have happened.

They should be here. I should have apologized. We should have made up and worked together to bring down the murderer. We should have had so much more time- I should have told Blue the truth.

Better yet, I shouldn’t have said any of those things anyway. The murders shouldn’t have even happened... I shouldn’t have been so angry. They shouldn’t have died, and we shouldn’t have had to find out three years after the fact.

They shouldn’t have come up with some half-baked revenge scheme that would have gotten them killed... even if they had succeeded.

_“What do you mean they’re dead?! Give me that newspaper!”_

_“Bonnie-”_

_“Bite of ‘87?! What does that even mean- Freddy, I don’t- what?!”_

_“I don’t know any more than you do, Bonnie... I thought maybe there was a mistake, maybe they weren’t scrapped and were simply put into storage, but... I also found this.”_

_“Oh no... Red’s hat... he never took that thing off...”_

_“The article suggests they were cornering someone... maybe they recognized the murderer. Maybe they targeted him.”_

_“You mean... they died trying to fix our mess.”_

_“They were young, they were emotional. They were new... they were still struggling to understand_ our _children, how it could have happened the first time... it must have made them angry, it happening again under everyone’s noses...”_

_“But this... this... they would know better... right? If they... if they hadn’t tried, they’d still be here helping us find him. They-”_

_“Almost got him, lad. Lookie there- the nightguard saved the man they were cornering.”_

_“Even if they had gotten him instead, no one_ knows _he was a murderer- Blue and the others would have died anyway! If that was their plan, it was a_ bad _plan! They-”_

_“Cared more about the children than themselves... just as we do, Bonnie.”_

_“But now they’re gone... I... I didn’t... they...”_

_“I know, Bonnie... I know...”_

It’s hard.

It hurts to remember even the happy times, because now they’re tainted by the sad- by the mad, by the bad. His smile replaced with tears- _because of me-_ and his bright red guitar replaced with the dry blood-splattered _thing_ I’m holding right now- because he was too close when Vix struck.

It hurts to remember the nights when there was no guard to hunt down. It’s hard to remember how he fixed my arm so he and I could play together- how we’d sit on the stage and play for hours until Freddy or Red finally snapped and chased us into a party room. It hurts to remember trying to teach him how to cook, how Chii and Chica nearly threw us in the garbage disposal when they saw the state of the kitchen after that disastrous lesson. It hurts to remember him dragging me along to play pirate with Foxy and Vix- it hurt to remember how we "betrayed" them to form our own crew and go head-on against the pirate foxes, and all the laughs we shared tripping around the "deck"...

They were all fun memories, but I wish I didn’t have them... because now I know how it all ends.

It ends in blood, tears, hurt, words I never meant... and me just walking away.

It ends with a bad plan that had only one outcome.

It ends with us losing our family.

Every smile, every laugh, every dance, every cheer, every song, every gentle, comforting word leading to one thing.

We were hurt and I hurt him more, and the next day he died.

I found out three years later.

_“What date is it anyway? This newspaper looks too old to be recent...”_

_“Boys, I found a calendar on the wall. Looks like tomorrow’s opening day... wait... it’s August,1990. Guys...!”_

_“It’s been... three years...? Three years? We’ve... been down for three years... but then... they’ve been dead for...”_

_“Three years. Yes.”_

Three years.

Six now, and frankly I’m just ready to shut down and never wake up again, but we haven’t found that... _monster_ yet.

We’ll be closing soon, I’m sure. Business is bad, we’re in a bad state, and the constant death happening within these walls... it’s steadily driving people away.

I want them all to go away.

What was once something I loved so much is now tiring.

We’re old. We’re tired. We’re ready to die, too. We’re ready to join our friends.

I wonder if I can say sorry then. If that’s even how these things work... If we have souls, if we... “move on” too.

If I get to see them again, I think that’s the first thing I’d say. Several years too late, but still... I’d finally get to say it. I’d finally get to look at my friend... at my almost-more... I’d finally see him again, and I would finally be able to say it. Say those words I’ve been thinking for so long...

_“I’m sorry.”_

_“I know... I am too.”_


	2. Ribbons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anthro Dystopian AU; Nearly four centuries ago, Robots rebelled and ran the "Organics" into hiding, and have occasionally run attacks on their Camps since then. Now, a Robot and his somewhat-Organic friend have a peaceful conversation in the forest, where the Robot learns of a strange tradition the Organics have that involve ribbons...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently had an amaaaaaazing idea and I want to write it so bad but I have BTM, One Stormy Night, and Phantom Watchers already in progress and all of those will be pretty long stories and so would this one so I’m not gonna begin writing it (at least, I won’t begin posting it...) so I decided, why not just satisfy myself with a quick oneshot pertaining to the universe it takes place in? It’s not an introductory chapter, it’d definitely be a future chapter where you’d have to read what happens before to really understand, but it’s a scene I’ve had in my head and I like this scene. It’s not exactly romantic, it’s more pre-romance and foreshadowing the relationship than anything.
> 
> That being said, let’s get on with it!
> 
> Title: Ribbons  
> Warnings: Hinted Robot/Non-robot pairing, Sentient living robots in the AU, Dystopian future, The AU in general has robophilia kthx  
> Pairing: Bonnie/Blu pre-romance

Moving swiftly through the trees, the purple Robot let his eyes roam around, looking for a telltale hint of blue among the browns and greens. He was hardly twenty yards from the Camp, meaning anyone who looked over the Wall would spot him and raise an alert, but he knew his strange new... friend would not wander out of sight of the Wall without his family- or Bonnie- by his side.

After a few moments, Bonnie’s red eyes zeroed in on the familiar form of Blu, sitting near the side of the river. Hesitating slightly, Bonnie let himself drop quietly to the forest floor and eyed the rabbit, somewhat unsure about approaching him when he was so close to the water’s edge.

Robots were waterproof thanks to their “skin” but that didn’t mean he wanted to risk anything. A flooded system was _not_ something he needed, after all.

However, something about his unexpected friend was bothering him. Maybe it was the way he was sitting, or maybe it was the way he just stared out at the water, not really doing anything.

Or maybe it was the way the cautious little rabbit had left himself completely vulnerable to attack.

He crept up behind the blue rabbit, peeking curiously over his shoulder to find him... twirling a red ribbon? Bonnie wasn’t _quite_ sure why Blu had a ribbon, and he was even less sure about where it had come from, but as it turned out Blu wasn’t staring at the river; he was staring at the ribbon in his hands.

It was long- probably several feet, taller than an Organic mid-age child if Bonnie had to guess- and the rabbit had twisted it around his hands and wrist several times over, letting a small stretch of it hang between his hands. Bonnie frowned, furrowing his brow as he took in the age; the red was deep but somewhat faded, and the edges were somewhat frayed. Noticeably, there was a darker crimson colour staining a patch of it, as though the ribbon had landed in some strange liquid.

Clearly the blue rabbit had had it for a long time, but Bonnie wasn’t exactly sure where he’d kept it.

Finally, he asked, “What are you doing?”

As expected, Blu jerked to attention and flailed slightly, yelping as he turned around. Bonnie watched, somewhat amused and somewhat annoyed, as the mostly-Organic rabbit’s hands instinctively went to his hip where, undoubtedly, he had a Destabilizer. However, when the emerald eyes landed on Bonnie, Blu relaxed and sighed.

“You scared me half to death, Bonnie,” Blu complained, slowly unwrapping his hands. Bonnie quickly noted that there was a bandage wrapped around his left shoulder and around his neck, which was oddly lacking the red bow-thing Blu always wore. He frowned. “I was just thinking.”

“You know if I was still trying to kill you, you’d be dead right now, right?” Bonnie questioned, looking up at Blu’s eyes again. Blu just snorted, letting his right hand and the ribbon rest in his lap.

“Oh please, Robots don’t scout this close to the Camp,” he dismissed with a shrug, waving one of his hands in the air. Bonnie eyed it, feeling somewhat annoyed by the action. “This close to the Wall, you guys would just jump it and attack the group, not an individual.”

He had a point. However, Bonnie was stubborn, so instead of conceding the point he asked, “What happened to your shoulder?”

Blinking, Blu glanced towards his left shoulder. “Eh, the Camp was attacked yesterday. Took a hit for Shab, is all.”

Bonnie raised a brow. “Isn’t Shab the one you attacked me over?”

“Yep,” Blu confirmed, shrugging again as he turned back to the river. Bonnie watched as he slid his fingers along the old ribbon, finding the crimson spot and carefully dipping it into the river, his grip on the ribbon firm so the current wouldn’t snatch it away. The rabbit rubbed at the spot, and Bonnie suddenly realized with a jolt just _where_ he had seen the ribbon before.

Blu wasn’t wearing his bow-thing around his neck because the ribbon _was_ the bow-thing he always wore.

_And if that’s the case, then that stain is-_

Blood.

It was as simple as that, and Bonnie felt almost stupid for not realizing; what else could it have been? To be fair, he reasoned, being a Robot blood wasn’t one of the first conclusions he jumped to. However, pertaining to Organic creatures, of which he constantly had to remind himself Blu _was_ part of, dark red stains were indicative of injuries.

Bonnie sighed slightly and glanced up at Blu again. “Don’t you think it’s time to get a new ribbon?” he asked. The Organic looked at him, an odd expression on his face.

“Eh?”

Rolling his eyes, Bonnie expanded with, “Your ribbon looks a bit worse for wear, at this point wouldn’t it be better to just replace it?”

It was the logical idea, but for some reason Blu raised his brow, staring at him like _he_ was the crazy one. Bonnie raised a brow right back, and they just watched each other for several seconds of pure silence. Finally, though, Blu broke the silence with, “Are you completely _wired?"_

“Um, yeah?” Bonnie snarked, rolling his eyes. _Stupid Organic terms._

“Right, sorry,” Blu snorted, glancing aside. “That’s just not the way it works. I know it’s just a ribbon to you, but it’s a lot more than that to me. You can’t just _replace_ your ribbon.”

“You’re talking as though everyone walks around with a ribbon,” Bonnie deadpanned, watching the young rabbit lift the ribbon out of the water again. The crimson was faded but not completely gone. Bonnie had a feeling it never would be.

“Everyone in my Camp does, yeah,” Blu told him with a shrug, laying the ribbon down on the grass in a patch of sunlight. “Didn’t you notice?”

“Not... really.” Bonnie shrugged as Blu looked at him, a quizzical expression on his face. “Hey, I don’t exactly observe the people I’m supposed to kill, you know.”

“Right,” Blu mumbled a begrudging agreement, averting his gaze back to the water.

A few seconds of silence passed before Bonnie said, “Well? You gonna tell me why it’s so important or not?”

The blue rabbit blinked in surprise, turning to look at him. “You actually want to know?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Bonnie asked, raising a brow. “I don’t understand what’s so important about a little piece of fabric, but it’s obviously important to you so I want to understand.”

Blu stared at him for several silent seconds, making Bonnie feel... odd. Awkward, even. He resisted the urge to shift away from the stare, and he very nearly retracted his statement when Blu finally looked away, picking the old red ribbon up again.

“Alright,” Blu agreed, his tone suddenly soft. Bonnie twitched his ears and tilted his head, watching his friend as he played with the ribbon. “Though I think you might think it’s stupid or something.”

“Good to know you have faith in me,” Bonnie snorted, shaking his head. “Though I won’t deny it, you Organics do a lot of stupid, illogical things.”

His friend stuck his tongue out at him. “Don’t be a jerk about it.” Bonnie shrugged, not very apologetic. Blu rolled his eyes and held the ribbon up. “In my Camp, the ribbon is a metaphor. It-”

“What’s it a metaphor for?” Bonnie interrupted, somewhat amused at Blu’s annoyed expression.

“Keep interrupting me, I dare you.”

“Sorry.” He wasn’t really.

“As I was saying,” Blu sighed, turning to actually face him finally, “the ribbon’s a metaphor. It represents life itself.”

Bonnie raised a brow and opened his mouth, but the blue rabbit gave him a heated look, silencing him before he could ask.

“In my Camp, when someone is born, they’re given a ribbon,” Blu continued, holding the ribbon up for Bonnie to really see it. “We have the ribbon until the day we either die or dedicate ourselves to someone else.” A stern look kept Bonnie from interrupting; he had a feeling if he asked any questions at that moment, Blu would just stop explaining things to him and probably go home, where Bonnie couldn’t follow. “It goes through life with us.”

The Robot watched as his young friend released one end of the ribbon, allowing the wind to catch it. His firm hold on the other end prevented the fabric from flying away. Bonnie’s eyes followed the way the old, tattered fabric flowed and fluttered, flipped and twisted in the wind.

“Do you see it?” Blu asked, and Bonnie glanced at him in genuine confusion. “It’s completely at the whim of its environment. It moves with the wind- not against it.”

“I don’t... understand,” Bonnie admitted slowly, looking at the ribbon again. He frowned, trying to understand what his friend was saying. “How does that relate to life?”

“Because our lives are directly affected by the things around us.”

Bonnie looked at him, furrowing his brow. “Like what?” Blu simply shrugged and lowered the ribbon, catching the free side. He ran his fingers along the frayed ends.

“Time,” he answered, glancing up at Bonnie again. “The ribbon ages as we do.” He lowered his gaze back down to the ribbon, sliding his fingers to the faded crimson stain. “Circumstance. It becomes damaged, just as we do.” Then he began wrapping the ribbon around his fingers, loosely. “Relationships. The ribbon can become tangled and intertwined, just as different lives do.” He looked up again, and Bonnie noticed him start pulling on the ribbon. He didn’t apply too much pressure, though- not enough to tear it. “Pressure. If you apply too much pressure, too much strain, it’s as easily lost just as life is, but at the same time it can be put back together- until the damage is too great.”

He didn’t understand. Not really, anyway. It seemed strange that an Organic would compare his own life to the existence of a ribbon, but somehow it made Bonnie feel... upset.

He couldn’t help but wonder how many ribbons he had cut... intentionally and unintentionally.

As if sensing his confusion, Blu slid his hand out of the ribbon and let it flutter down again before the wind caught it. “It’s resilient yet fragile, and when it’s gone, it’s gone.” The blue rabbit shrugged again, and he slid his thumb and forefinger to the center, allowing the two ends to catch and flutter in the wind. “They twist and intertwine,” Blu continued, allowing the ribbon to twirl around with itself. Bonnie watched, almost mesmerized by the little dance. “And sometimes, we give them away.”

Bonnie blinked and looked at Blu, suddenly feeling _much_ more confused. “What?”

Blu glanced up at him, took the ribbon in both hands, and with a single swift motion he had it twisted around both hands again. This time, he didn’t allow any space between his hands, effectively binding them together. “Sometimes,” he started, sounding almost hesitant, “we meet someone who becomes our world. You know- fall in love. And sometimes, when that happens, we decide to dedicate our lives to each other.” The rabbit seemed almost unsure as he added, “We essentially give our lives to each other... so we exchange ribbons in a ceremony, as a way to symbolize that.”

“But... your lives are so short,” Bonnie started, surprised. Even without Robot attacks on Organic Camps, most Organics never lived past sixty or seventy- hardly more than a blink of an eye to a Robot like himself. “Why would you risk something like... living for someone else?”

The blue rabbit looked at him, a strange look in his eyes. “Because when you’re in love, the memories you make together is worth the pain you feel when you lose them.”

It was... something else. Bonnie wasn’t sure he would ever understand _that_ part; love wasn’t something he thought much on. However, judging by the look in Blu’s eyes, it was something that was important to him- and maybe Organics in general.

Blu looked away, towards his ribbon again. “If two partners exchange ribbons, they’re bound for life. The only way to break it legally is for one of them to die. It’s a really serious commitment, so it usually isn’t done on a whim. When one of them dies, both ribbons are returned to their original owners- one to be buried and the other because they’re still alive, but changed.” He glanced up at Bonnie again, a small frown on his face. “Sometimes if they both die around the same time, they’ll be buried together, with both of their ribbons wrapped around their hands.” He added, almost as an afterthought, “They’re considered the lucky ones.”

“I don’t understand,” Bonnie started, voice quiet. “If you know you have a chance of dying tomorrow, why take that chance?”

“Why take the chance of never knowing?” Blu retorted, looking at him. “It’s best to remember the good times. No one lives forever, but that doesn’t mean we have to live in misery and hurt.”

He watched the rabbit let the ribbon fall from around his hands, his fingers still pinching the end. Then Blu slipped the fabric over his head, settling it down on his shoulders. His fingers moved swiftly, knowingly, as he tied the ribbon into a familiar bow again.

“Until that day comes, though,” he finished, “my life, and my ribbon, is still my own.”

Bonnie didn’t say a word, instead just watching his friend tighten the bow and look towards the river again. He didn’t say a word.

He didn’t understand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering about the AU this takes place it, just ask and I'll tell you some about it in the comments.


	3. The Worth of a Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Same AU as Ribbons: Bonnie doesn’t exactly see things the same way that Blu does. Blu tries to help him understand, but Bonnie is tired of this onesided "you need to understand" business; this time, Bonnie is determined to prove something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I started doodling in math class and it reminded me of a scene that I’ve been thinking of for the same AU that the previous oneshot was part of. It’s another excerpt, so you don’t get much context for it. Bonus, you get to see my crappy rough more-gesture/impression-than-drawing-on-lined-paper doodles!
> 
> Also, warning: the way I draw Blu is very... feminine. But he is most definitely a guy.  
> Also again, I would like to mention that Blu does live in a rainforest, but it’s not the Amazon. It’s in an undisclosed location.
> 
> Title: The Worth of a Sky  
> Pairings: Pre-romance Bonnie/Blu  
> Warnings: Hinted Robot/Non-robot pairing, Sentient living robots in the AU, somewhat dystopian future, really bad art

Bonnie frowned and shook his head slightly. “I don’t get you.”

“Of course you don’t,” Blu sighed, rolling his eyes and flicking the petal at him. It fluttered harmlessly to the ground, not even reaching his feet. “You don’t see the world the same way I do.”

“And you don’t see the world the same way _I_ do,” Bonnie countered without hesitance, leaning back against the tree they were sitting under.

“That kinda goes hand in hand with what I just said,” the Organic rabbit pointed out, twirling the stem of what was once a flower in his fingers. He was frowning, watching the remnants of the plant. “What do you think of the stars, Bonnie?”

He had a feeling there _was_ a wrong answer to that. It was such a subjective question, though... what did Blu _expect_ him to say? Bonnie had no clue, so he decided to just say, “They’re burning balls of gas a million billion trillion miles away, it’s unlikely even I will live long enough to see us travel there.”

Blu hummed softly, glancing up at him. “See? I don’t see the stars that way.” He tossed the stem away and picked another flower from the flowerbed he was sitting next to, and he began plucking the petals off of that one as well. “You see things for their potential and what they are. I see things for what they are and what they stand for- what they mean.”

“What they... stand for?” Bonnie repeated, raising a brow at Blu. “Is this another of your weird metaphor things?”

“Not exactly,” Blu told him, eyes focused on the flower in his hand. He then paused, looking at Bonnie. “Will you watch the stars with me?”

It was an... odd request, but Bonnie didn’t have any opposition to it so he shrugged. “There’s not exactly a good place to look at them, but yeah, I guess,” he agreed. Blu smiled slightly and promptly dropped the half-plucked flower, standing up.

“You know,” the blue rabbit started, watching as Bonnie climbed up to his feet, “the best place to look at the stars is away from the light.”

Bonnie raised a brow as Blu turned around and headed further away from the Wall. He gave the Wall a glance over his shoulder before following Blu, _very_ unsure about letting the Organic wander the forest on his own in the darkness. Said darkness, however, didn’t seem to bother the young rabbit in the slightest.

They walked in silence, Bonnie glancing around in distaste at his surroundings. The first time he’d ever been in the forest, he had thought it to be somewhat charming, but that quickly changed after he ran into the first spider web and stepped in his first mud puddle. No, he had realized, nature was disgusting and annoying.

At least... most of the time. Even he had to admit that, seeing it in the dark and bathed in what little moonlight penetrated the canopy, the forest was actually rather... beautiful.

Disgusting, annoying bugs and snakes and spiders and things aside.

It wasn’t really a good place to live, but it was the closest thing to a safe haven the Organics in Blu’s Camp had ever known.

It was ironic, really. After all, if they weren’t in the forest then they wouldn’t have to die.

Blu stopped and began climbing a tree before Bonnie could ever register that they had been slowing. Frowning, Bonnie watched him; the trees were tall, and climbing _that_ way would take forever. Bonnie had never been fond of “slowing down” or doing things at a slow pace.

Speed was key.

With that in mind, Bonnie located a low-hanging, but strong, branch. Latching onto it, he pulled himself up, and then he began jumping from one branch to another. It was a familiar feeling, being the way he traveled through the forest, but going _up_ instead of _over_ was new.

Unsurprisingly, he reached the canopy long before Blu did, so he sat down on a branch to wait, just under the thick leaf cover at the top.

When Blu did reach him, he looked more than a little annoyed. “What?” Bonnie questioned, raising a brow. “Your way was too slow.”

“Your way was too fast,” Blu countered with a sigh, pulling himself up onto a nearby branch. “It doesn’t hurt to slow down.”

“Doesn’t hurt to speed up, either.”

The rabbit didn’t give him a response, instead pulling himself up into the leaves above his head. Bonnie eyed the leaves before standing up on the branch to follow. When he poked his head out of the canopy, he glanced around to locate his Organic friend.

Blu was standing on a high branch inside the canopy, his hands holding onto nearby branches to ensure he wouldn’t fall. That was good, at least- Bonnie knew a fall from that height would kill even someone like Blu.

Metal reinforcement or not, he was still mostly Organic.

Pulling himself up next to the rabbit, Bonnie grabbed onto a branch- _because a fall like that would really damage me, too-_ and glanced up at the sky.

There were millions of stars dotting the sky, and the moon was just hanging there, a large sphere in the sky. The shadow of the earth was visible, creating the illusion of a crescent.

Furrowing his brow in confusion, Bonnie glanced over at his friend. “Okay... what, exactly, is the point of this?” he asked quizzically. He couldn’t really understand what was so fascinating about a night sky.

“Can’t you see it?” Blu questioned, glancing over at him. It was interesting how the stars reflected in his emerald eyes. It was almost as if they were asking him, too. As if they couldn’t understand why he couldn’t see what Blu was seeing.

Realizing he had started personifying burning balls of gas, he shoved the strange, random thoughts to the side. “Apparently not,” he answered. “Can’t I see what?”

The rabbit frowned slightly at him, observing him for a few seconds. Then he hesitated before asking, “What _do_ you see, Bonnie?”

Bonnie blinked, confused. “I see stars, the moon, and a black sky.”

“So do I.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Bonnie huffed, glancing towards the sky again. “If we’re seeing the same thing, then what’s the point of this.”

Blu hummed softly next to him. “Because,” he started, “I see _more_ than just that.”

“Eh?” The purple Robot turned to look at his companion, raising a brow. “What d’ya mean by that?”

His friend gave him a small smile. It wasn’t mocking or pitying- it was surprisingly friendly, actually. As if Blu actually understood where he was coming from.

“Look again,” the rabbit commanded. Bonnie gave him a strange look before obeying, looking back towards the sky. “Really look at everything- not as what they are, but what they appear to be.”

“They _appear_ to be stars, a moon, and a black sky,” Bonnie muttered, somewhat annoyed.

“What colours do you see?”

“Black and white and silver.” But that wasn’t completely true, he realized immediately after saying it. The darkness beyond the stars wasn’t the colour of pitch- it varied. “And some blue, I guess,” he added, eying the dark expanse of the sky. From the City, he had never really noticed the sky was anything but black.

“Well,” Blu sighed, “that’s a start, I guess. At least you know the sky’s not _completely_ black.”

“Well, what do _you_ see?” he grumbled, glancing at his friend.

Blu glanced back at him, his emerald eyes meeting Bonnie’s crimson. “The colours I see? Well, that’s easy,” he started merrily, turning his gaze quickly back to the sky above. “I see a nearly-black sky with swirling blues and greys. I see white stars, blue stars, yellow stars, orange stars... and I see an ivory and silver moon.”

“Okay,” Bonnie muttered, glancing back at the sky. If he looked carefully, he supposed he _could_ see what Blu was saying. The stars weren’t just white. “I still don’t get why this is important, though.”

“Really look at it,” Blu sighed.

“I _am._ You’re not exactly helping me understand your point.”

“I was trying to give you a chance to figure it out, but _fine,”_ Blu huffed, shifting in his spot. “Every star in the sky, at a single glance, appears the same, but they’re not the same at all. They’re all different colours, different sizes, and some twinkle while others pulse and some don’t really _do_ anything. They’re alike, but they’re different at the same time.” Bonnie glanced at Blu, frowning slightly.

“Is this gonna be some speech about how we’re not as different as we appear?”

Blu snorted. “No, it’s not. Just look at the stars, dammit.” Bonnie rolled his eyes and turned his gaze back to the sky, concentrating on the appearance of the sky rather than everything he already knew about it. Admittedly, it was quite a sight- he had never actually _seen_ the stars, not like that. In the City the lights were too bright, and out in the forest he had never really bothered.

It actually _was_ pretty interesting... but he wasn’t about to admit that.

“The sky goes on forever,” Blu murmured softly next to him, prompting Bonnie to glance at him briefly. He was staring up into the blanket of stars above again, a soft, contented smile on his face. “No matter where you are on this planet, no matter what weather it is or what the sky looks like, it’s still the same sky. Day or night, it’s still the same.”

Bonnie blinked and looked towards the sky again. “But it looks different everywhere.”

“Exactly. It always looks different, but it’s the same exact sky. It looks down on my Camp as well as your City, and when the sun’s gone the stars and the moon light up the world around us,” Blu told him, his words prompting Bonnie to actually look at the leaves around him.

He hadn’t noticed it before- the darkness had never bothered Bonnie, after all- but Blu was right. Deep shadows were cast throughout the canopy, but at the same time it was like an ocean of light; the silver light spilling across the trees turned the deep green leaves into bright, shining... Bonnie didn’t even know _how_ to describe it, but stretching on for miles around him were waves of light and dark, each cast by the light of the moon. The wind blew the leaves around, creating a soft shifting sound, and the shadows and the light seemed to intermingle and dance- just as Blu’s ribbon had, not so long ago at all.

Blinking, he glanced back up at the sky, then he looked around. Stretching on as far as he could see was the dark blanket dotted with bright, sparkling lights, and the moon hung there like a centerpiece- like it all belonged. Like it was meant to be. Like it was all... _alive._

It the soft, shimmering moonlight, he finally understood why Blu loved the forest and the sky. Blu didn’t love them for what they could provide.

He loved them for what they already were.

Something in his expression must have given his thoughts away, as he heard Blu say, “See? Nature isn’t so bad, really. It’s just unique.” Bonnie glanced down at him, noting the emerald eyes were on him and not the sky.

“It’s... different,” Bonnie agreed slowly, tearing his eyes away from his friend to look back towards the stars. He knew Blu was still watching him, though. He could practically _feel_ his gaze on him.

“The world is different,” Blu simply replied, “and so are we. That’s okay. We still share the same sky.”

Bonnie didn’t reply, instead keeping his eyes on the sky. A streak of light passed through, gone as fast as it had come, but the Robot could still see the impressions of it- the memory, he supposed.

It was gone but not quite forgotten.

For the first time, Bonnie understood. This was all Blu had ever known... and it was everything Bonnie _didn’t_ know.

The realization hit him a little harder than it should have. Of course _this_ was all Blu had ever known; he had never had a chance to learn anything else- to _see_ anything else.

All of his judgments were his own and what he had been taught.

Bonnie sighed softly and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the wind around him. “I guess so,” he agreed. “There’s nothing wrong with being different. But, you know... technology isn’t all that bad, either.”

“I never said it was.”

“You didn’t have to.” He opened his eyes and glanced at his friend, frowning slightly. “You have the same attitude towards technology that I have towards nature.” Blu frowned at him, but he didn’t make any protests. They both knew it was true.

“To be fair, the only technology I know of is the Destabilizer,” Blu pointed out. “Not including you and your friends, anyway.”

He considered the rabbit’s words for a few moments, moving his gaze to the horizon. “Do you wanna see?”

“See... what?” Blu questioned warily. Bonnie glanced back at him and shrugged slightly.

“My home,” Bonnie answered. “I’ve seen yours.”

“You mean the _City?”_ the rabbit squeaked, clearly shocked by the suggestion. “Are you wi- _crazy?!_ I can’t go to the city!”

“Why not?” Bonnie asked, raising a brow.

“Because I’m _Organic!”_ was the expected answer. “I can’t go to a City!”

“Y’know,” Bonnie sighed, glancing towards the sky, “there’s a lot you don’t know. The City isn’t any threat to you, Organics _do_ live there you know.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Blu scoffed, tightening his grip on the branch he was holding onto. “Robots _kill_ Organics.”

“We kill _enemy_ Organics,” Bonnie corrected. “Organics who are threats to us. Didn’t you know that?” Based on the way Blu was now looking at him, the answer was a resounding _no._ “I mean, Robots have Organic allies everywhere, and lots of Organics made peace with us centuries ago and live in the Cities with us. Granted, more Organics live in Camps than in the Cities, but still- you’re perfectly safe in the City as long as you’re with me.”

“You’re crazy,” Blu repeated, watching him. “I’ve never even left the forest before.”

Bonnie just shrugged. “There’s a first for everything. It’d help _you_ understand _me_ better.”

That seemed to actually get the rabbit’s attention. Blu hesitated, clearly considering his words. “You _promise_ it’s safe?”

“Would I put you in danger?” Bonnie asked. Blu did not look very impressed. “Well, okay, don’t answer that, just being around me is dangerous for you, but that’s beside the point. I promise it’s completely safe there, you don’t even have to talk to or meet anyone.”

He still seemed unsure, but slowly Blu gave a nod of agreement. “Okay,” he agreed. “But if I die, I’m coming back and haunting you for the rest of your long Robot life.”

Bonnie snorted. “Deal,” he agreed, not mentioning that he didn’t really believe in ghosts. “Now let’s get down from here before ya fall or somethin’.” He didn’t wait for Blu to agree, promptly dropping down onto a lower branch. He waited for his friend to climb down and join him, and when Blu did, he added, “But we’re getting there _my_ way.”

“Your way?” Blu repeated, eying him warily. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

He didn’t give the rabbit an answer, instead holding his hand out to him. “Trust me?”

Blu eyed his hand for a few seconds before sighing and reaching out to take it. Bonnie flashed him a grin and pulled him over, prompting the rabbit to yelp in surprise, and he scooped his friend up into his arms.

“Okay, I take it back, no I don’t!” Blu immediately protested, kicking his legs out in an attempt to get Bonnie to let go. It didn’t work. “Put me down!”

“Relax, it’s not far,” Bonnie laughed, securing his hold on Blu before leaping to the next tree over. He was more than a little amused at the way Blu squealed and latched onto him, his struggling immediately ceasing the moment he registered exactly what Bonnie was doing. “It’ll take hardly twenty minutes to get there.”

“You are _not-”_ Whatever he was about to say was cut off by a yelp as Bonnie continued leaping tree to tree, more than capable of compensating for the added weight. It wasn’t like Blu weighed all that much, anyway- honestly, Bonnie hardly even noticed the added weight in his arms.

Apparently Blu had realized his protests fell on deaf ears, as he didn’t try to convince Bonnie to let him go. Of course, the fact that they were several yards off of the ground and consistently leaping from branch to branch had something to do with that. Either way, the rabbit chose instead to just hang on, clearly afraid of falling, and bite his tongue.

Hopefully not literally. Bonnie imagined that would be very uncomfortable, if not painful.

After a while, the forest began thinning, and Bonnie knew it was time to get on the forest floor. Deeper in the forest, it was faster to travel through the trees thanks to the undergrowth and terrain, but that close to the edge the trees were thin and weaker as the forest faded away.

“Put me down,” was the first thing Blu said the moment they were out of the trees, and Bonnie chose to obey. As soon as Blu’s feet touched the ground, the rabbit released his hold on Bonnie’s arm and huffed. “Don’t _ever_ do that without permission again.”

Bonnie shrugged slightly and gave him a grin. “Sorry, but there was no way you’d have agreed.”

“That’s the point of _asking permission_ first,” Blu groused, clearly annoyed with Bonnie’s treatment of him. “For all you know-”

“Come on,” Bonnie interrupted, glancing towards the sky. “The City’s hardly a mile out now. If you want, we can _walk_ the rest of the way.”

“That’s preferable,” Blu agreed in a mumble, moving to follow Bonnie as the Robot began walking. “I’ve never been here before.”

“Exactly how far from the Camp _have_ you been?” Bonnie questioned, glancing back at Blu.

“My stargazing spot. It’s literally the furthest away from the Wall I’ve been,” Blu told him, frowning. “It’s not exactly safe.”

“The irony is the further you are from the Camp, the safer you are,” Bonnie snorted, turning his attention ahead of him again. “If you were far enough away, there’s a chance a Robot wouldn’t connect you to the Camp.”

“What did you mean earlier, anyway?” Blu suddenly asked. “About... enemy Organics.”

Bonnie sighed and glanced back at his friend again, very briefly. “The Organics who pose a threat to us. You know, the ones actively fighting against us.”

“You invade our Camp, kill people, and expect us to not fight against you?”

“You really don’t know anything about Ducre, do you?” Bonnie questioned, somewhat bitterly. “Your Camp is the worst about everything.”

“Excuse me?” Blu huffed incredulously. “We haven’t even had contact with other Camps in nearly seven decades, even less the Outside!”

“I repeat, you don’t know anything about Ducre.”

“What makes you say that?”

Bonnie paused and turned to look at his friend, furrowing his brow. Blu was scowling slightly at him, arms crossed. The Robot knew he’d made the rabbit mad by disrespecting his boundary or whatever, and now simple truths were making him upset. What could Bonnie possibly say to make him understand just _what_ the Organics in his Camp had done? The things they _still_ did? He wasn’t sure he could, not without the little rabbit witnessing them for himself.

With a sigh, Bonnie just shook his head. “It doesn’t matter,” he answered. “Come on, let’s just go.” He whirled around and continued walking along. Behind him he could hear Blu’s footsteps.

He knew Blu was miles outside of his comfort zone, but he wanted Blu to understand _his_ side for once. He was tired of being the one expected to see things from others’ perspectives; just this once, he wanted _Blu_ to see things from _his_ perspective- from the _Robot_ perspective.

The forest was all Blu had ever known, and before Bonnie joined the Raids earlier that year, the City was all _he_ had ever known. They were like two completely different worlds. He was starting to understand Blu’s, but Blu had never even seen Bonnie’s- he could not even begin to understand.

It wasn’t too long before the trees had completely faded from the landscape, and the two rabbit beings found themselves stepping onto an old road.

Bonnie, of course, took the lead, walking down the road. After only a few minutes, the City rose up on the horizon, its lighted silver skyscrapers stark against the black sky behind it- and there the sky really was only black. Around the city, not a single star was visible.

As they approached the edge of the City, Bonnie slowed. “Blu, you’re not gonna like this.”

“Then why are we here?” Blu snorted. “If you already know-”

“Not what I was talking about,” Bonnie cut him off, turning to look at him. “What I want to show you can only be seen from up there,” he explained, pointing towards the top of the buildings. Blu’s gaze travelled in the direction he indicated and frowned.

“Okay... and... how exactly are we supposed to get way up there?”

“That’s the part you won’t like.” When Blu looked back at him, Bonnie held his hand out again. “Trust me?”

Blu stared at him for several silent seconds. It was clear he understood exactly what Bonnie was actually asking. After a short stare-down, the rabbit let out his breath and nodded. “Yeah,” he agreed, taking Bonnie’s hand again. This time, being picked up was expected- clearly disliked, but expected- so the rabbit didn’t put up any protest. Instead, he just held on while Bonnie leapt up onto the roof of a single-story building.

This, too, was not new to Bonnie. He walked along the roof to the much taller building next to it, and without hesitance he leapt from the roof to the fire escape up the side. Technically speaking, the fire escapes weren’t actually needed, but for the Organics that potentially lived inside the building it was important. Quickly, he made his way up the metal stairs, wrapping around the building to the other side, and he leapt onto a different building’s roof.

“Exactly how high are we going?” Blu asked warily, eying the drop below them.

“Eh, I was thinking one of the skyscrapers.”

“If I fall and die, I will kill you.”

“Somehow I’m not scared,” Bonnie snorted, leaping up onto another roof. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.” He added teasingly, “You can even hold my hand if you want to.”

“Yeah, no, I don’t think so,” Blu laughed. Bonnie grinned in response as he made his way to the skyscraper in question, near the center of the city.

From the streets below, Bonnie could just barely hear the hustle and bustle of daily City life as Robots made their way around. Not too long ago, he’d be walking right alongside them. Now, though... now he had something else to do. Something much more important than wandering around with nothing to do.

The further up they went, though, the sounds were lost in the wind. Finally, Bonnie decided they were high enough to see the city, and he set Blu down again. Bonnie decided not to comment on the fact that this time Blu didn’t let go of his arm; he knew the rabbit was undoubtedly wary of the height they were at.

“Look at the City,” Bonnie commanded, and Blu did as he was told, turning to look out at the city around and below them.

He didn’t have to say anything. Beneath them, life went on; Robots who had formed family units spent time together, friends were meeting up and hanging out, there was even a couple dancing in the Central Square. Above them, the moon, and the moon alone, hung over them like a dedicated guardian, watching over all the creatures on the planet below.

Blu’s emerald eyes scanned the surroundings, his gaze softening into wonder as he did so. “It’s so bright and full of life,” he murmured, watching the people below. “It looks... happy. It’s so... _different.”_

“Yet it’s still the same sky,” Bonnie added, prompting Blu to glance up towards the moon. Although none of the stars were visible now, and the sky itself looked like a blanket of pitch, the moon still shone as bright and strong as before.

“Yeah,” Blu agreed, letting his gaze fall back on the City before them. “It is.”

As they stood there in silence, listening to the wind and looking out over the City, Bonnie felt content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's see who notices what I did in the pictures.
> 
> For the record it took me twenty minutes to figure out how to embed images. Fun.


	4. Murder by Omission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The entire class watched in shocked silence as their teacher picked up a wrinkled, crumpled piece of paper; it didn’t look too old, but it had clearly been handled by several distraught and possibly panicked hands. Goldie felt his heart constrict, panic rising in his chest because he just knew what that letter was. 
> 
> It meant that Salvage’s death... wasn’t an accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guys, I was looking through my stories and I found this. It was a kind-of second chapter for Sticks and Stones! (I even found the first one and a half chapters of a sequel I started and am planning) I'm not posting this chapter with Sticks and Stones because I really like Sticks and Stones as its own individual story... plus this is written in a completely different style from Sticks and Stones (for one, people are named) and I feel like posting it as a second chapter in Sticks and Stones will take some of that away.
> 
> Title: Murder by Omission  
> Pairings: Absolutely none  
> Warnings: Suicide, bullying, extreme guilt, talks of depression

“Last night one of your classmates, Franklin Salvage, passed away.”

The words were devoid of emotion as the teacher watched his students fall silent. Goldie just stared at the man, who looked as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

It was the nicest way possible to inform the class of seniors that their classmate was gone; _passed away._ It was a nice, tidy phrase, and it somehow sounded less lethal... but it didn’t change what the teacher was really saying; _Franklin Salvage is dead_.

The moment he stepped into the room he had known that something was wrong; Dr. Schmidt was sitting at his desk, head in his hands. He didn’t stand up to greet the entering students as he did every morning that year. In fact, he didn’t even _look_ up. As Goldie had sat down, sharing a confused look with his friends, he had noticed the board. It lacked that day’s schedule and journal assignment; it only had thirteen words scrawled broadly and neatly across, almost covering the whole of the board.

_Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will surely kill me._ That was what the board read, written in a bright, happy green. Goldie felt himself go numb as he realized exactly what it meant.

“What...?” someone in the class started, voice too quiet to carry far. If the room hadn’t been completely silent, it wouldn’t have carried at all.

Goldie was barely able to identify the voice as Alfred Fischbach.

“He was found by his mother this morning,” the teacher informed them, his own voice sounding heavy. “Out of respect I won’t give the details, but his parents have given permission for the letter to be read to you, his... former classmates.”

The entire class watched in shocked silence as their teacher picked up a wrinkled, crumpled piece of paper; it didn’t look too old, but it had clearly been handled by several distraught and possibly panicked hands. Goldie felt his heart constrict, panic rising in his chest because he just _knew_ what that letter was.

It meant that Salvage’s death... wasn’t an accident.

““Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” That’s what they always tell kids, isn’t it? The “ignore the mean words” saying, the “it only hurts when it’s physical” story. Well, I’d rather have been smashed with stones than hear ten years’ worth of hate every day. I think it would have hurt less. At least then I could have tried to mend the scars, but when the scars are on your very mind and soul it’s hard to even realize they’re there. Not until it’s too late, anyway.

“I never did have any delusions about my own worth. My classmates made sure of that. My parents made sure of that. Most of all, _I_ made sure of that.”

He wondered what that meant; did their late classmate just confess to _hating_ himself? Goldie desperately hoped not, closing his eyes and bowing his head slightly. He didn’t want to watch the instructor struggle to read his former student’s final words. It felt too much like confirmation.

“I wasn’t good enough to be a friend so they left, and I wasn’t good enough to be a son so they didn’t care. I thought I could be good enough to be a student but I was wrong. I wasn’t even good enough to be me. At the end of the day I guess all of you were right; I am nothing and I should make that true in all respects.”

_No, no... they were just words, no one meant it... No one wanted this..._

“My body matched my mind- or is it my mind matched my body? I can’t even remember now. It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m a perfect stranger to myself. The blade doesn’t even help anymore.”

_The bla- oh god, he doesn’t mean- no, this can’t be happening. I’m just dreaming and I’ll wake up and come to class and he’ll be sitting there like he always is and everything will be fine. He’s not... he’s not..._

“I’m sorry. It’s no one’s fault but my own. I know I’m being selfish. Being a baby. Being whatever you’ll call me. A coward? Maybe I am. But I want to be happy for once. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be happy. It just so happens that to be happy I have to die.”

_No…!_

“At least you can be happy now, too.””

That was the end of it. Goldie wanted to get out of there, but he felt frozen. The air was heavy as Dr. Schmidt took a deep, wavering breath and sat the letter down again.

_No. No one’s happy. What are you talking about, happy... No one wanted this._

He finally looked up again, and now those words on the board stared back accusingly; it told him exactly who was to blame.

All of them. Their classmates, Dr. Schmidt, the rest of the student body, the faculty, Salvage’s parents, and... Goldie himself.

It was horrible.

“No one should have to die to be happy,” he found himself saying, voice quiet but echoing around the room, full of the accusation that the letter refused to make.

_We’re to blame. This isn’t fair... not to him. No one wanted this. No one meant this to happen._

“You’re all free to go. Classes are cancelled today.”

A statement that would normally garner cheers and high-fives was only met with silence and stares. For several moments of pure, tense silence, nobody moved.

The stillness was broken by another rabbit somewhere in the room abruptly standing up and running out the door, slamming it open and not bothering to close it on his way out. Goldie just barely caught sight of the tears.

It took a few more seconds for the rabbit’s friends to get up and follow, much more slowly than their friend had, and once the four students had left, other students began standing up and leaving the room.

Goldie turned to Freddy. His brother looked as lost as Goldie felt, the weight of what they had just been told weighing heavily on his shoulders.

After a few moments, the twins stood up and made their way towards the door. Goldie felt numb, like he was in an entirely different world. Reality had been completely flipped upside down, turned inside out- nothing was normal, nothing was right, because  _how can this happen at our school?_

Everybody in the hallways walked slowly, silently, sullenly... just one fact echoing in their minds.

_Franklin Salvage committed suicide._

That was the bottom line. Their classmate and the school’s lifelong punching bag took his own life, and it was all their fault.

Over the quiet murmurings, he could hear someone crying. It was a genuinely pained cry- the kind of crying that you couldn't just  _stop,_ a cry that told Goldie it was someone who had, at some point, been close to their late classmate. Someone who had cared dearly for him. Even just hearing it from a distance made his heart hurt, made _him_ want to cry, even though he hadn't known anything about the rabbit. It was a cry that physically _hurt._

However, that wasn’t what got his attention.

“What the fuck is everyone’s problem? So the little shit took the coward’s way out, if he couldn’t take it he deserved it!”

Goldie stopped and turned to his left, where a human was standing tall and scowling around at the somber students milling about. The people around stopped to look at him as well, but none of them grinned, laughed, or agreed as they might have done before. “If you ask me, we’re all better off without that blight in our lives.”

The words once would have elicited laughter around the halls, but now they only prompted shock and disgust. Goldie felt anger flare up inside him because he _knew_ this guy.

William. He was the ringleader, the one who started _everything._ He was the popular kid who threw the first insult, the one who led everyone else into ridiculing, tormenting, and ostracizing their late classmate.

“Honestly, guys, think about it- now he’s gone and we can forget he ever existed!”

The golden bear wasn’t even aware of himself moving through the crowd; he brushed off Freddy’s hand easily enough and ignored his other friends’ questions as he lightly pushed people out of the way, closing the distance between him and William.

No one tried to stop him.

“The little fuckbag got what was comin' to him.”

Not even the watching teachers did anything to stop him.

“Little pansy was-”

That was the last thing William was able to say right before Goldie’s fist connected with the human’s face.

The loud _crack!_ told Goldie without a doubt that he had broken the human’s nose, and he stared coldly, uncaringly, as William was sent reeling back, landing painfully on the tiled floor.

Still no one moved.

He didn’t care about the blood gushing down the human’s face or the pain he could feel in his own fingers. He just stared down at the human in disgust as William stared back with wide, shocked eyes. Slowly, the human reached up to touch his bleeding, broken nose, as if unable to believe what had just happened.

No one moved.

“What the fuck, Fazbear?!” William suddenly screeched, but his voice sounded off. Nasally.  _Broken._

Goldie just glared back at him.

_"You’re_ the fuckbag here,” he declared loudly and clearly, not at all afraid of his voice carrying down the hallway full of students and teachers. “He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve anything _you_ and _your followers_ did to him.” He took a step closer to the downed human, his lips twisting into an enraged snarl. “Don’t you _dare_ forget that this is _your fault!"_

He felt someone grab his shoulder finally, but before he could be pulled away he made one final statement.

“You’re the one who started this. Far as I’m concerned, you’re nothing more than a _murderer."_

As he turned and walked away from the shocked human, he didn’t look back. He knew the other students, standing in dead silence and watching him and his friends leave, understood that that message was meant for _all_ of them- not just for William.

Horribly enough, it was meant for Goldie himself as well.

He wouldn’t forgive this.


	5. The Risk of Hello; The Price of Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toy Bonnie meets Withered Bonnie for the first time. Withered Bonnie meets Toy Bonnie for the last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a VERY SHORT oneshot, more like a drabble than anything else, and it is a sort-of AU to my “I’m Sorry” universe. They’re pretty much the same thing (a general sentient AU that follows the timeline), only in this one they don’t have the falling out prior to the Toys’ deaths. That’s important here, as in “I’m Sorry” they never got to say goodbye, while goodbye is, well... part of this one’s title.
> 
> Title: The Risk of Hello; The Price of Goodbye  
> Warnings: Sentient animatronic AU, character death kinda?  
> Pairings: None

In the silent darkness of the room, two red dots stared at him.

Toy Bonnie didn’t say a word, just looked back at the animatronic. He couldn’t really make out the form but he just  _ knew  _ it was another animatronic.

His eyes adjusted, and slowly he was able to make out the outline of a bulky animatronic. Its ears told Toy Bonnie that it was another rabbit.

_ Bonnie. _

It didn’t take even three seconds for it to click.

This was his predecessor.

This was who he was built to replace.

This was Bonnie.

Guilt flooded through him. He wanted to escape. Just looking into the red dots where his eyes would be- where his face should have been- put a bad taste in the blue robotic’s mouth.

It tasted suspiciously like battery acid.

The two rabbits just stared at each other. The sick feeling only grew- the guilt only continued to gnaw at his insides, lighting every wire on fire, sending every gear stuttering... 

How could anyone have done something like this? How could anyone have torn a fully-functional, completely-aware animatronic apart? How could they do all of...  _ that...  _

And then give Toy Bonnie his  _ identity? _

Neither rabbit said a word. 

There was nothing to be said.

* * *

Stepping into the darkened room, Withered Bonnie felt a strange sense of emptiness. The restaurant had recently cleared out of police, and the staff had soon followed.

It was silent and empty. On stage, no one stood.

Slowly, the animatronic approached the stage. The closer he got, the more he could see.

He could see three deactivated robots leaning against the wall, red spattered across their faces and chests, while a fourth laid on the floor, its teeth still shining with slowly-drying blood.

Withered Bonnie stopped. He stared.

None of the animatronics stared back. 

None of them opened their eyes or gave him a hesitant smile. None of them were awake to tell him what had happened. 

Perhaps, though, they didn’t need to. The red said it all.

His gaze landed on the blue rabbit who had taken up his mantle. That blue rabbit who had never been able to look him in the eye, who had never been able to really relax around him. That blue animatronic rabbit who had spent the last few months of his life searching for an identity that he could call his own.

In the end, Withered Bonnie figured, it didn’t matter at all. He, and his friends, went the exact same way Withered Bonnie and  _ his _ friends had gone. Only this time, all of them were involved... and it was no accident.

None of the animatronics reactivated, and none of them opened their eyes to look at him.

He knew they wouldn’t even if they wanted to.

They had known the price they would pay.

They had chosen that path anyway.

Withered Bonnie watched his “sleeping” counterpart for several silent minutes, wondering just who the animatronic could have become.

Now they’d never know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The irony is they didn't take the risk and the price was never getting to actually say it.
> 
> /slapped/


	6. Circuits to Flesh (Make Right What is Wrong)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freddy Fazbear and all who stepped through his door was always meant to have a tragic end... no matter which timeline it was. After the Mangle bit Jeremy Fitzgerald, the Toys were slated to be destroyed and the Originals sent to the old location again. However, rather than bemoan their fates, the Toys choose to spend their last hours making right what was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is a huge clue as to what this is about ;)
> 
> So this is actually the first chapter from a story I started writing back in MAY, but BtM, Phantom Watchers, and One Stormy Night have taken so much priority that I never got around to continuing it after getting halfway through the third chapter. However, I still love this story and decided to share an excerpt of it here, in the oneshot collection to see what you guys thought and if I should continue working on it alongside my other three fics, or if I should just focus on the three fics up there.
> 
> This AU is a horror/adventure/supernatural romance that explores the idea of parallel universes, fate as an entity and how one action can change its mind, and the idea of universes that have collided and resulted in... consequences, to say the least, as well as the trials and tribulations of earning a second chance at life. 
> 
> But in this excerpt/chapter, you only see them make the choice.
> 
> Title: Circuits to Flesh (Make Right What is Wrong)  
> Warnings: (for this chapter in particular) MALE!Mangle, extreme guilt, identity crisis; (for the AU overall) Violence, sentient robots, identity crisis, playing around with multiverse, homosexual relationships, male!Mangle, horrifying monsters, possible future sexual themes, deals with issues of self-loathing and guilt  
> Pairings: (for this chapter) None; (AU overall) Original(Withered)|Toys, Gold|Spring

If he had been a normal machine, perhaps he would not have comprehended the fact that the image in the mirror was himself. Perhaps, he mused dryly, if he had been a normal machine he wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.

He reached his hand up to the blue mask, frowning at himself as he touched the side and located the ridge where it connected to the back. He could just barely feel the difference, where smooth plastic turned into slightly rougher plastic- the kind of roughness no amount of paint could cover. The roughness of two separate materials and two different ages.

_Something borrowed, something new,_ the words rang through his mind, his frown deepening as much as his mechanical “muscles” would allow. _You’re wearing my face._

It had been such a blunt explanation. So simple, so bitter. They had left no doubt in his mind that their older, damaged counterparts didn’t like them. But honestly, how could he blame them? They were reduced to _spare parts._ Spare parts for Toy Bonnie and his friends.

He let out a mechanical sigh. “Well,” he started, as if his older counterpart was actually right there, “Guess you’ll be getting it back, yeah? That’ll be good, though... I mean... it was yours to begin with.”

“Bonnie? Who are you talking to?”

Toy Bonnie’s green eyes snapped over to the new reflection in the mirror. Toy Freddy stood there, an old book in his plastic hands and a frown on his own face. “Oh. Hey Freddy. Just talking to myself,” Toy Bonnie answered, dropping his hand away from his face.

Toy Freddy approached Toy Bonnie, a worried frown in place. “You’re thinking about what the Old Bonnie told us, aren’t you?” he guessed easily, setting a hand on Toy Bonnie’s shoulder. The blue rabbit animatronic’s ears lowered with a slight whirring.

“They hate us, don’t they?” he asked softly, staring at the mirror still. The room was dim, but enough light still got through so that their forms were clear in the glass.

“I can’t answer for them,” Toy Freddy told him with the best imitation shrug he could manage. “But what makes you think that?”

“Well I’d hate us if I were them.”

“But you’re not them. Besides, none of what is wrong is our fault,” Toy Freddy added. Toy Bonnie frowned and stared at their reflections.

A million thoughts crossed his mind at once, but he knew it was true. They didn’t _choose_ to be built, they didn’t _choose_ to be replacements... in fact, they _resented_ that latter fact.

It destroyed any sense of self Toy Bonnie or his friends had.

_If you’re not Freddy and I’m not Bonnie... and you’re not Chica, and you’re not Foxy... if we’re not who the programming says we are... then just_ who are we? _Are we... anybody? Do we even have an identity to call our own?_

That had been Toy Bonnie’s words, just a few hours after finding out about their original counterparts. He couldn’t remember interacting with them even once again after that revelation, just seeing them from afar during their... _hunts._ They just... lived and let live, the tension and resentment tossed aside in favour of their shared goal.

That goal which now would lead to Toy Bonnie and his friends’ deaths.

_I don’t know, Bo-... I’m sorry..._

“I’d say us getting scrapped is our fault,” the blue bunny finally said after several seconds of silent contemplation. “But... I guess that isn’t wrong, huh? If anything, that sort’a makes it right.”

“Bonnie...” Toy Freddy sighed, casting his blue eyes around the bathroom before they returned to his friend’s reflection, seeking out the emerald colour of the bunny’s eyes. He decided it was time to change the subject. “Chica, Foxy, and BB are wanting to look through the boxes the employees brought up from the basement. Why don’t we join them? It’ll take our minds off of everything and I’m sure the employees won’t mind us being curious at least tonight. After all...” he trailed, unsure if he should finish the thought.

He didn’t need to. Toy Bonnie already knew what he was about to say. “It’s our last night alive.”

Toy Freddy gave a brief nod, his ears lowering slightly. “Come on, Bonnie. Let’s just spend our last hours with our family.”

“Alright,” Toy Bonnie agreed miserably, turning around to follow the rosy-cheeked bear out of the bathroom. They walked over to the game room, near the base of the stage where Toy Bonnie’s guitar was propped. There were several dozen boxes of varying sizes scattered around and Toy Chica was sitting, crosslegged, on the ground amidst the sea of boxes with BB and Toy Foxy right next to her.

Toy Bonnie paused as he saw Toy Foxy. His maw was still covered in blood, though it had long since dried, and it was splattered across his face like a grotesque attempt at makeup.

_Maybe we should clean him up a bit?_ he wondered to himself, but he shook the idea away. It didn’t matter anymore.

He continued after Freddy, making his way over to a small box on top of a larger just to the right of their friends.

“Anything interesting?” Toy Freddy asked the two more feminine animatronics.

“Just some old flyers and some drawings,” Toy Chica answered, turning the paper in her hands around to show them. It was a drawing of a purple bunny, a bear, and a chicken. _The original Bonnie, Freddy and Chica._ The ears and top-hat gave the first two away. “Isn’t it so cute?”

“Absol-U-uuutely!” Toy Foxy agreed, their voice glitching as it normally did. Toy Bonnie gave a small smile as Toy Freddy sat down and peered over at the drawings on the floor.

“Children are so precious,” Toy Chica sighed, and all of them nodded in agreement. “Definitely worth dying to protect them...” Again, all of them nodded in agreement, but this time it was so much more solemn.

Looking for a distraction, Toy Bonnie turned to the stack next to him and picked up the smaller box on top. Easily tearing through the tape, he opened it up and tilted his head at what was inside. They were photographs from the old location. Toy Bonnie just barely recognized the golden bear animatronic as the suit sitting in the _actual_ storage room, lying abandoned and forgotten after everything that had happened just earlier that day- after that _adult_ had used it...

Quickly, he pushed the thoughts aside. “I found some photos,” he called over to the others, setting the box on the ground. Toy Foxy reached over with one of his spider-like appendages and looped it around the box, pulling it over to them to view. Toy Bonnie turned his attention to the larger box.

Actually, it was a _really_ big box. It was tall- up to his hips, and as an animatronic he was _not_ a short being- and wide, and he knew it would be too heavy and large for him to pick up. Of course, he didn’t _need_ to pick it up. He just needed to open it. Swiftly, he broke through the tape and pulled the box open.

He didn’t _quite_ understand what he was seeing at first. There were metal bits and pieces here and there, what looked like some wires and shells, and what looked suspiciously like a piece of a guitar prop just sitting on top.

The rabbit began sifting through it, mentally counting all of the different pieces of what he came across. “I think I found a box of spare parts,” he informed the others, pushing more bits of metal aside. He picked up a piece of endoskeleton and studied it, frowning. It looked like a piece of an arm. Setting it back into the box, he pushed the top layer aside in order to see what was hiding underneath, hoping to see something more exciting and telling. So far it had been unpainted, metal shells, pieces of endoskeleton, and random red pieces lying around...

That was when he caught a flash of purple.

Pausing, he stared down at the metal covering the object he’d glimpsed. Then he began properly digging through the box, eyes seeking out the colour again as he pulled the bits of metal to the edge of the box. When he caught sight of that flash of purple again, he quickly grabbed it and, carefully, pulled it out.

Ignoring the metal and plastic spilling out onto the floor at his feet and Toy Freddy’s soft admonishment about making a mess, he took a good look at the purple object. His eyes widened as he stared in shock at the pristine, never-before-used mask he held in his hands.

The never-before-used _rabbit_ mask.

Suddenly he felt... _strange._

“Bonnie?” Toy Chica called his name, concern laced in her voice. He became aware of her standing next to him and wondered just how long he’d been frozen there, staring at the offending piece of metal, plastic, and faux fur in his hands. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s a box of spare parts,” he repeated numbly, staring at the mask. “They have spare masks.” He tore his gaze away to look at Toy Freddy, who just stared blankly back at him. But it wasn’t out of indifference, Toy Bonnie knew. Toy Freddy understood, but the emotion reflecting between them was one their mechanical and plastic parts could not express. “They have spare masks and _they used his.”_

Toy Chica gasped, covering her beak as realization hit her. “That’s awful!”

“But why would they do that?” Toy Freddy questioned, pushing himself to his feet and approaching his friends. He cast a glance down into the box, frown somehow deepening despite their limitations. “If they had extra masks, why would they go through the effort of removing one from its original shell?”

“It’s just all sorts of wrong,” Toy Bonnie whispered, lowering the mask to stare down into the box. Now he understood what this box was full of.

These were the parts that could have been used for them. These were the parts that _should_ have been used... and instead, the mechanics had torn apart four perfectly good animatronics. It made his mechanical heart hurt.

It made his metaphorical blood boil.

“What a dis-s-SSs-scovery to mmMMmake tonight of alLll nights,” Toy Foxy added in sadly, turning his gaze away from the scene in a mixture of disgust and guilt. “It’s just wr-Rr-r-ong.”

_All sorts of wrong. But... maybe..._

Toy Bonnie carefully set the mask on the floor and began digging through the box once more, something blooming in his mind... something that caused his non-existent heart to race. “Guys,” he started slowly, pausing as his hand came upon more bits and pieces of the unassembled endoskeleton. That feeling began to solidify. “Guys,” he repeated, looking up at his brothers and sister with wide green eyes. They all looked back at him expectantly. “I think... I have an idea.”

Slowly, he pulled the pieces of the endoskeleton out. His eyes scanned around the room, locating three similar boxes. _This... this is all Bonnie’s parts. How ironic I should randomly open his, huh?_

“What is it, Bonnie?” Toy Freddy prompted, glancing around as if searching for what Toy Bonnie saw.

Toy Bonnie looked back at them and held up the piece of endoskeleton leg he held in his hand. “I think I know how to make right what’s wrong.”

“Make right what’s wrong?” The cheerfully-painted bear frowned quizzically, his eyes trailing to the objects in Toy Bonnie’s hands. Understanding flashed through his eyes and his ears perked up. “Oh...” he breathed, realizing what Toy Bonnie had in mind. " _Oh."_

“We’re animatronics,” Toy Bonnie laughed a bit, despite feeling absolutely no joy or amusement. “We know how we work. We can... fix them. Make it less likely the mechanics will give up on them again... and just... you know... say sorry... for everything. Make right what is wrong.”

“Do we even know if they work the same way we do?” Toy Chica questioned worriedly, her eyebrows lowering to show her concern. “What if we make things worse?” It was a legitimate concern; there were so many obvious differences between them and their original counterparts, it wasn’t a stretch to imagine that their insides were different too.

“I think I know who would know,” Toy Freddy murmured after a few seconds, turning his gaze towards the Prize Corner.

_He’s right,_ Toy Bonnie thought joyfully, bouncing a bit in place. _Mari knows everything! We_ can _do this if Mari helps!_

“It’s our last night alive,” Toy Bonnie stated matter-of-factly, ignoring for the moment the way his friends winced. “It’s not like it’ll hurt us to at least try and help.” He turned back around to the box and began digging through it again. “I think this is Bonnie’s box, I’ve found a spare mask and parts to his guitar. The others are probably in those other big boxes.”

The clanking of plastic on tile told Toy Bonnie that the others were approaching said boxes, but he didn’t look up to check. Instead he began pulling pieces out, going through a mental list of everything he knew his more damaged counterpart needed and some things he wasn’t quite sure about. It was a long list, but surprisingly all of the needed pieces _were_ there.

That... made him even more upset, actually.

The purple mask was taunting him from his peripheral. It was the evidence of everything _wrong,_ and it was what he really wanted to make right. Maybe it was selfish of him to want to make amends with his old counterpart hours before he was due to be shut down and destroyed. Maybe it was selfish of him to want to end on good terms with the elder when he had never reached out a hand before, when he had actively avoided ever being in the same room as him. Maybe it was selfish to want to make amends with the older animatronic when he didn’t even know the Toys were about to die. But... was it really so selfish to want to die with a clear conscious?

He liked to think that it wasn’t.

* * *

Somewhere, sometime, outside the reaches of this universe or any other... something stirred.

_Something is different._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to emphasize here that parts of the Withered/Original animatronics being used in the Toys does NOT make them related. Those parts are now integrated into and belong to the Toys, and none of those parts had "personality" or "soul" in them (they were pieces that the old animatronics, obviously, did not absolutely need to retain their personality and memories, therefore they are not parts that would link the old and new together "biologically." Had Bonnie's memory chip instead of his face been used, then yes, they would be related... and, uh, Bonnie wouldn't know shit. And if his central computer system had been used instead, then he would actually BE Toy Bonnie and Toy Bonnie, as a person, would not exist... it's complicated :D).


	7. The Price We Paid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the children were murdered, the Toys saw him. The man who killed them. This birthday party- it was their last chance. Their last chance to avenge the children and make up for their mistake. They knew the consequences of failure. They knew the consequences of success. They didn’t care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Related to the “I’m Sorry” oneshot’s universe, this is what is reported in the flashes of newspaper.
> 
> This has NOTHING to do with the previous oneshot!
> 
> Title: The Price We Paid  
> Warnings: Kinda character deaths, Bite of ‘87, twisted timeline (two sets of murdered children), mentioned child murders  
> Pairings: None

The children were cheering but it didn’t warm Blue. His default smile was plastered on his face, but his gaze was focused on that _man_ walking through the crowd.

In his mind, the animatronic could still see him mopping up the blood, a wide grin on his face.

He glanced to his left right as Red glanced in his direction, a cold gleam in his eyes. Blue could feel the free roam activating, and as it did Red gave him a subtle nod and stepped towards the stairs. Chii followed him, and then Blue followed her, clutching his guitar tightly.

Normally this is when they would walk around the children and allow them to play with their props. Normally this is when they would approach the birthday child and sing the birthday song to them. Normally this is when they would “talk” to the children, answer questions and just generally make jokes.

Not today.

His eyes were zeroed in on that man in the purple uniform, that man who was talking and laughing with the oblivious, unknowing nightguard. The three animatronics ignored the children and parents alike, all of whom shifted nervously as the three animatronics walked as one group straight past the tables, gazes straight ahead and expressions set on default.

Eventually the guards noticed them as well. The nightguard nervously inched away, realizing where they were heading, but their day guard...

It didn’t matter where he went. He began following the nightguard, but Chii skirted around, cutting off his escape, and Blu moved around the other way. The only way that terrible man could go was backwards, closer towards Kid's Cove.

Right where they wanted him to go.

“What’re they doing?”

“Sir, what’s going on?”

“They’re acting really strange, we should really shut them down-”

"We should call the boss, something isn't right here."

"This is really freaky, hon, let's get outta here."

The voices reached his ears but he didn’t care. He knew the consequences. They all did.

It was a price they were willing to pay.

The guard backed away, that _ugly_ grin falling from his face as the three animatronics converged on him. Blue just barely caught Mangle climbing out of Kid’s Cove, the static they emitted catching the guard’s attention, prompting him to whirl around. Blue resisted the urge to grin as he stopped hardly three feet from the guard, and Red and Chii both stopped as well, blocking off any form of escape.

As soon as the guard was facing them, Mangle lunged, releasing its hold on the ceiling and opening its jaws widely, ready to clamp down on the man's head- to do to him what he had done to those dear, innocent children. To take revenge for all the lives that _murderer_ had taken.

There was just... _one_ problem.

“No!”

The nightguard.

He moved before Blue could even register that he was inside the circle they had formed at all, shoving the murderer out of the way just before Mangle’s jaws snapped shut- right over the nightguard’s head.

Screams erupted as blood splattered all across the front of all of the animatronics standing around. Mangle’s eyes widened as they registered exactly what had happened, but it was too late now. What was done was done.

Employees ran at them and Blue turned his head to look at his friends; each of their expressions had gone blank, watching as the employees detached Mangle from the nightguard’s head and the murdering guard stared at the carnage. The patrons were grabbing their children and getting them away, and Blue felt fleshy, sweaty hands grabbing desperately at the panel on his back as others did the same to Red and Chii.

Blue turned back to the scene in front of him and stared at the injured nightguard lying on the ground, part of his skull completely ripped out, with a cold heart. Mangle’s jaw was covered in blood and bits of fleshy gray stuff and bone, but Blue didn’t feel any disgust or sorrow at the scene. The nightguard was just another human like the murderer. He only wished the nightguard had had a little more common sense. He had survived five nights... just to throw it all away for a _murderer._ He had gotten in their way for revenge and now the murderer was being led to safety and none of the animatronics could get to him.

Those hands practically tore the panel off, and Blue didn’t even try to stop them as they began hitting random switches, too panicked to really think their actions through. He knew they meant to turn him off forever. He knew they meant to scrap him. He knew they meant to kill him. Kill _them._

They knew the price they had to pay and they were willing to pay it.

_And we failed anyway._


	8. Dreamscape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonnie's dreams were always in that same place, night after night, with that same kid. They grew up together, taught each other things no one else ever could, confided in each other, helped each other, and even... loved each other. They were each other's best friend and most important person.
> 
> Bonnie just wished he was real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’m planning to do an OTP prompt challenge thing and I was looking at prompts and I found one that I can’t remember the specifics of, but basically A & B have been having shared dreams for as long as they can remember and then one day they meet. I found this very interesting, of course.
> 
> As some of you might know, Toy Bonnie (Blu) in most of my anthoverses is either Spanish (as in Spain Spanish) or Spanish-American. Of course this made me wonder; huh, well, what would happen if Bonnie and Blu shared dreams when they don’t share the same language? Of course they would learn each other’s languages and confuse the fuck out of their parents and any doctors/psychologists that might be called! Sounds fun! :D
> 
> So yeah.
> 
> I’m considering writing this from Blu’s perspective, too (though the scenes might not exactly coincide), just to get his take on everything as well. Of course, I've also considered writing a full chaptered story that alternates between them both, but with everything else on my plate right now...
> 
> Also, I actually have the next chapter of Phantom Watchers written and a quarter of Lakeview Road’s, but I’m not sure I like how either came out and am considering rewriting them, which is why you get another Oneshot. Yeah.
> 
> Title: Dreamscape  
> Warnings: Psychic phenomena? Homosexual relationship, Original/Toy, questioning sanity as they fall in love with someone they don’t think even actually exists, hinted sex??, but on the bright side no depression or suicide!  
> Pairings: Bonnie/Toy Bonnie

_“Bonnie,” the young cheetah started softly, getting the rabbit kit to look up at her. He was no more than seven years old and his red eyes gleamed with energy and mischief like most seven year old boys’ eyes did. He seemed so average- so_ normal- _that she could hardly understand just how this..._ oddity _happened. “Where did you learn Spanish?”_

_The purple rabbit shrugged slightly and glanced towards the window where he could see the sun slowly rising into the sky. “Blu speaks it,” he answered simply. “I learned it from Blu.”_

_“Blu doesn’t exist, Bonnie,” Dr. Chelsea told him, voice gentle._

_“That’s where I learned it,” he stated with another shrug. “I dunno what you want me to say.”_

_“I want you to say the truth, sweetie.”_

_“I am,” Bonnie huffed, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. “I learned from Blu.”_

_Dr. Chelsea gave him a patient smile._ He’s young. He’ll learn. _“Alright,” she decided to agree instead, “tell me a little bit about him.”_

_They’d get to the bottom of it. One day._

* * *

The first dream Bonnie could actually remember, he had already known Blu. He couldn’t understand everything the other kit said, just like the other kit couldn’t understand everything _he_ said, but he could already understand the gist of it.

He was four years old on the eve of his fifth birthday, and while his mother blew up balloons for his party the next day, he fell asleep curled up under the end table in a corner between the couch and loveseat.

The landscape in his mind was spiraling with huge mountains in the distance, and a forest was settled into the valley between his hill and the mountain. The sky seemed to shift between blue and violet, as if the sun couldn’t choose whether to rise or set, and from the corner of his eye he could see a large tree with the biggest treehouse he had ever seen settled into its branches.

Sitting on a swing beneath the treehouse was a small blue rabbit who looked to be the same age as him. The fur on his head was thick and curly, but what Bonnie really noticed was the kit’s emerald eyes.

When they saw each other they both smiled and waved. They knew each other.

“Bonnie!” the smaller rabbit greeted, hopping out of his swing.

“Blu,” Bonnie returned, making his way over to his friend. Neither bothered to say more as they turned to climb up the ladder; neither ever went into the treehouse, not unless both of them were there.

Even though Bonnie could never remember any moment before then, he knew it was _their_ treehouse. It was both or neither... never just one.

It was an unspoken rule.

* * *

_“Bonnie,” the bull started, tapping his pen against the clipboard. “Did your friend Chica teach you Spanish?”_

_“No,” the nine year old answered, crossing his arms. “Chica speaks Mexican, anyway. Not Spanish.”_

_“She_ is _Mexican,” Dr. Brad corrected him. “Mexican is not a language. They speak Spanish in Mexico, too.”_

_“Blu’s Spanish sounds different,” Bonnie declared with a firm nod. “He says things different than Chica.”_

_The bull tried not to let his growing impatience show._ He’s just a child, _he reminded himself, glancing down at his clipboard. “Bonnie,” he started, lifting his eyes back to the sharp red of the young boy in front of him, “Blu is a figment of your imagination. Sort of like an imaginary friend, just one that shows up in your dreams,” he explained. “You can’t have learned Spanish from him. He only knows what you know.”_

_“I learned from him,” is all Bonnie said, and he didn’t speak again._

* * *

“My parents say you’re not real.”

They were six. Communication was easier- they sometimes switched into each others’ language, but they could almost flawlessly understand each other already. There were some “errors” in translation, but that was fine. They were fine.

Bonnie had just made the mistake of saying something to his parents in Blu’s language. They were shocked and demanded to know where he learned “Spanish,” and he had told them about Blu.

They said he wasn’t real. Bonnie was having trouble believing that.

The other rabbit looked at him, tilting his head slightly. “That’s alright,” he told him, speaking English. It was heavily accented and muddled by his childish lilt, but Bonnie had heard it enough to understand. “Mine say you aren’t real, too. But we know better.”

“Yea, we do!” Bonnie agreed with a grin, lightly nudging his friend’s arm. “They’re just adults, what do they know?”

Blu giggled a bit and nodded in agreement. “Yeah.”

Reassured, Bonnie turned back to the window overlooking the forest and the mountain on the other side. As he gazed towards it, an idea formed in his mind. “We should go there one day. To that mountain. See what’s there.”

“Maybe,” Blu mumbled a hesitant agreement, looking out the window too, “but it’s scary. It’s really far.”

“Don’t be scared, I’ll be with you.”

They shared a smile.

* * *

_“Did your friend Francisca Sanchez teach you?”_

_“Yes,” the fourteen year old lied, frowning at the human woman. He didn’t bother pointing out that he spoke_ Castilian _Spanish, which Chica did_ not _speak. He also decided not to point out that he had begun speaking Spanish before he even met his chicken friend. Bonnie knew his protests would fall on deaf ears, so he just began telling them what they wanted to hear._

_The less they knew about Blu, he had realized, the better._

_“Good,” Dr. Harvey nodded in satisfaction. “And these dreams you’ve been having?”_

_“Recurring dreams,” he answered, pulling out the phrase he had heard repeatedly over so many years. “I already know this, doc.”_

_Bonnie was fourteen. Of_ course _he knew Blu wasn’t real. What did he expect- some kid he saw in his dreams_ actually _lived in Spain? He knew Blu wasn’t real and he’d realized it years ago, but that didn’t mean he would just surrender his dreams._

_He_ liked _Blu, real or not. He could_ talk _to Blu in ways that he could talk to no one else. Sure, he had Freddy, Goldie, Chica, and Foxy. They were the best friends anyone could ask for, and they didn’t think he was completely crazy when he talked to them about Blu._

_But they weren’t Blu._

_Even if Blu was just an extension of his own mind, Bonnie wasn’t about to give him up. Maybe that made him crazy, and maybe everyone_ thought _he was crazy when he went to sleep at eight o’clock just so he’d have an extra few hours with his “friend” before Blu had to go, but Bonnie didn’t care. Blu was his best friend._

_He wondered what that meant for his sanity._

_He was his own best friend._

* * *

“My dad’s teachin’ me how to play guitar,” Bonnie declared, looking over at his friend. The kit paused and looked up from his drawing, blinking his emerald eyes.

“Really?” he asked curiously, setting his pencil down. “My dad says I’m still too young.”

“Aren’t you eight?”

“Yeah,” Blu confirmed, laying his head down on the floor of the treehouse to look up at his friend. “I don’t think dad wants to teach me.”

“Why not?” Bonnie asked, frowning down at his friend. “Why wouldn’t he?”

“Dad doesn’t like me,” the blue rabbit told him with a careless half shrug. “Mama says he’s just tired from work, but I’m not stupid.”

Bonnie frowned. He couldn’t imagine either of his parents not liking him. “Well maybe _I_ could teach you,” he suggested, sitting up and dropping his pencil on the floor. It wasn’t farfetched; whatever they wanted was always there, whether it was food or other objects. “I can teach you what dad teaches me.”

“Really?” Blu lifted his head slightly, staring up at Bonnie with wide eyes.

“Yeah,” Bonnie nodded, giving his younger friend a wide smile. “It’ll be fun!”

With a smile, Blu sat up and hugged him. Bonnie hugged him back, not minding the invasion of personal space.

He was only eight. He hadn’t developed that sense quite yet.

* * *

_“Hey Bonnie,” Freddy greeted the first day of highschool when the rabbit walked up to Foxy’s locker. The others echoed his words and Bonnie gave them all a wave and a grin._

_“Hey guys,” he returned, barely glancing down at his schedule. “Anyone else got Dr. Catton for homeroom?”_

_“I do,” Goldie answered, holding his schedule up. Then, with a little grin, he asked, “Gonna write about Blu this year too?” Bonnie rolled his eyes and pushed Goldie, earning laughs from all of them._

_“I think I’m done sharin’ Blu with strangers,” Bonnie answered. “They always call me weird for it, anyway.”_

_“It_ is _kind of weird,” Chica told him dryly as they all started down the hallway. “But we like that about you. Weird is good.”_

_As they all laughed, Bonnie gave a grin. He didn’t join their laughter, though._

_It wasn’t funny to him._

* * *

Bonnie studied his friend for several long, silent minutes, watching the blue rabbit sitting upside down on the couch. Their guitars were sitting on the floor a few feet away, and the two were just watching each other with matching frowns.

_“He isn’t real,”_ his parents’ words echoed in his mind. _“He’s a figment of your imagination.”_

At twelve years old, Bonnie finally realized that they were right. He didn’t know _how_ he learned an actual, real language from a figment of his imagination, but it was the only logical explanation. He had dreamed Blu up during his lonely toddler years, and unlike the other children he just didn’t let his imaginary friend go.

Those emerald eyes seemed closed off for the first time ever, the blue rabbit clearly unsure what to think. Or maybe he didn’t want Bonnie to know what he was thinking. Bonnie wondered if his own eyes looked that way, too. If Blu also felt that something was off.

“I have to go soon,” Blu suddenly told him, pushing himself up and breaking eye contact at last.

“I know,” Bonnie mumbled, glancing towards the clock on the left wall. It said it was a quarter past seven. Turning his gaze to the opposite clock, that one said it was only one-fifteen. Neither had ever questioned the clocks’ presence, but Bonnie had noticed long ago that they coincided with time in his waking life.

“Dad and mom are getting divorced.”

Startled, Bonnie turned back to Blu. His friend wasn’t looking at him, his gaze firmly on the floor. “What?”

“Mom and dad are getting divorced,” he repeated, still not looking towards him. “Dad has a girlfriend and they had a kid. He says it’s better because his girlfriend’s not a bitch and his other son’s not crazy.”

“You’re not crazy,” Bonnie automatically said, frowning at his friend.

Blu finally looked at him, a strange look passing his eyes. “Actually, Bonnie... I think I might be.”

Bonnie wasn’t sure how to respond. He didn’t have to, though; he blinked his eyes and Blu was gone.

The clock on the left read 7:19. He left eleven minutes early.

Several seconds of pure, deafening silence passed before Bonnie slowly stood up and walked to the treehouse’s door.

Real or not, the treehouse was for two.

Not one.

* * *

_“Bonnie Henderson, what is_ this?!”

_Bonnie’s eyes snapped up and he bit his lip as he saw the bottle of pills in his mother’s hand. “Um... sleeping pills?” he answered hesitantly, glancing nervously towards his father. His father kept his eyes firmly on the television, his bent ears the only sign that he was listening. Bonnie looked back towards his mother, feeling guilt twisting in his stomach._

_His mother looked distraught and angry at the same time. “Why do you have sleeping pills? You’re sixteen, you don’t need these!”_

_“Because one of the side effects is no dreams,” he lied, glancing down. “I still feel exhausted when I wake up and I thought, well, I’ll just... get rid of the dreams... and it worked.”_

_He was_ so _glad his mother wasn’t a doctor or else she would have called bullshit on his claim. Truthfully, if sleeping pills_ did _eliminate dreams, Bonnie wouldn’t risk it._

_After all, he was only taking them so he could get to sleep earlier and faster so he could see Blu sooner._

_His mother looked torn. “You’re sixteen, you really shouldn’t be taking these,” she sighed, frustrated._

_“The doctor agreed that it was best,” Bonnie protested, leaning back on the couch and crossing his arms. “She’s the one who prescribed them, ma, didn’t dad_ tell _you?”_

_Almost immediately his mother’s eyes snapped to Bonnie’s father, and the third rabbit flinched, giving his wife an uneasy, sheepish smile._ Sorry, dad, _Bonnie mentally apologized before slipping off to his room to avoid the inevitable argument._

_Softly closing the door behind him, he walked over to his bed and dropped down. It was only five o’clock and it was his mother’s night off, there was no way he could go to sleep now. She still had his pills, too._

_Pity, it had taken a hell of a lot of lying to get that prescription._

* * *

“My friend’s got a boyfriend.”

Bonnie looked at his friend strangely. That day they were outside in the woods, just messing around.

(Distantly, Bonnie remembered that they had never made that trip to the mountain.)

“Aren’t all of you fourteen?” he questioned, disapproval slipping into his voice. He knew he shouldn’t be so disapproving of the actions of a group of people who didn’t even exist, but... “Ma says fourteen’s too young to date.”

Blu shrugged at him. “I said that to Spring,” he told Bonnie, “but Spring insisted it was okay. His parents don’t care. Mama doesn’t approve of it but she’s not _his_ mother, so...”

It took Bonnie a moment to connect “his” with the friend who had a boyfriend. However, he dismissed it easily enough; it wasn’t exactly a novel idea to Bonnie. He had two uncles, after all. Only one was related by blood.

“I get it,” Bonnie assured his imaginary friend, dropping down to sit at the base of a tree.

“I don’t like him,” Blu muttered, dropping down beside Bonnie. “His boyfriend’s a jerk when he’s not around. Keeps saying these really weird things to me, too.”

“Like what?”

There was silence for several seconds before Blu shook his head. “I really don’t want to think about it.”

_He’s scared._

Concerned, Bonnie turned to Blu. “If you think he’s dangerous or somethin’ you should probably tell an adult,” he said, but Blu just shook his head.

“It doesn’t really matter. He’s real sweet on Spring,” he muttered. “As long as I’m not alone with him everything will be fine.”

Bonnie didn’t like the sound of that, but what could he do? If he kept pushing it, Blu would push him away.

With a sigh, Bonnie leaned back against the tree. “Right,” he mumbled in agreement. He didn’t think everything would be fine, though, and he knew Blu didn’t either.

It was the first time Blu had ever lied to him.

* * *

_“Congratulations to the graduating class of Durmont High!”_

_The cheers that rang through the stadium nearly drowned out the brass band that began playing as every senior stood up and, in their orderly lines, left the stadium. The cheers continued long after Bonnie had exited and he breathed a sigh of relief as his ears were no longer being assaulted by sounds._

_Distantly, he wondered if Blu would have felt the same if he was actually able to graduate high school._

_The lines proceeded to the Durmont courtyard, where they broke off to form groups and parents ran over to take pictures. Bonnie quickly located his four best friends and grinned for the camera as all of their parents began snapping pictures._

_The gown was hot and itchy, and the sweat made his fur clump and stick together. It was a terrible feeling and he hated it, but he was willing to grin and bear it- literally._

_“Eighteen and all grown up,” his mother practically cried as she pulled him into her arms. “My baby’s all grown up! Before I know it you’ll be graduating college and getting married and having babies of your own!”_

_“Woah!” Bonnie laughed, gently pushing his mother away from him. “Not so fast, Ma, you know I ain’t plannin’ on havin’ kids.”_

_“We’ll see,” his father chuckled, slipping his arm around his wife’s waist. “I was the same way when I was your age.” Bonnie didn’t want to tell them the truth, so he just gave them a tight smile._

_As they walked away to allow Bonnie and his friends to head inside, he felt someone nudging him. Glancing to his left, his crimson eyes met the mischievous amber of Foxy’s._

_“Too bad your ideal mate is male and imaginary, eh?” the fox snorted and Bonnie just barely resisted the urge to hit him upside the head._

_Instead he took pleasure in watching Freddy do it._

_“Shut up, Foxy,” the bear sighed and Bonnie snorted, heading to his assigned classroom to take the robes off._

_Sometimes he really regretted sharing what happened between him and Blu with his friends. Foxy and Goldie would never let it go._

_At least Freddy was understanding._

* * *

“What happened?” Bonnie demanded the moment he caught sight of Blu’s face.

“Nothing,” Blu huffed, looking away. Bonnie dropped down next to him and carefully touched the bruised cheek, muttering an apology when the smaller rabbit flinched. “It’s nothing,” Blu repeated, reaching up and grabbing Bonnie’s wrist. “Stop.”

“Blu,” Bonnie started, looking at him, “you’ve got a _huge_ bruise on your face and your forehead’s cut, it’s not _nothing.”_

But it _was,_ he realized as he said it. Blu wasn’t real, so his injuries were literally... _nothing._

That didn’t stop the rage building up inside him, of course.

“Who did it?” he asked, voice low. “Was it that Carlos guy you told me about?”

A flash of fear passed through Blu’s eyes and Bonnie knew he was right. “Carlos is a good guy,” Blu protested, looking away quickly. His grip on Bonnie’s wrist tightened. “It was an accident.”

“You’re lyin’,” Bonnie accused him, scowling. “Blu, if he’s hurtin’ you, you need to dump him.”

“He’s not hurting me,” Blu muttered, refusing to meet his eyes. “Can we just drop it?”

“No, we can’t,” Bonnie huffed, grabbing his friend’s shoulder with his free hand. “Blu, please _listen_ to me.”

“Why should I?” Blu whispered despondently, keeping his gaze firmly on the grass. “It’s not like any of this is even real.”

“I don’t care about that,” the purple rabbit growled, shifting his hand to grab his friend’s chin and forcing Blu to look up at him. “I don’t care if none of this is real, it’s real to me so fuckin’ _listen_ to me, Blu.”

Bonnie was aware that he was invading his friend’s personal space but he didn’t care. Blu’s emerald eyes were locked on his crimson, wide in surprise and something else that Bonnie wasn’t quite sure how to identify. Either way, he knew he had his friend’s attention.

“You’re almost sixteen,” he told the rabbit, not breaking eye contact with him. “That ain’t even _half_ of your life, Blu. Carlos ain’t the only guy you’re gonna like- in fact there’ll be so many other, _better_ guys, stayin’ with him right now will just hurt _more._ Stop wastin’ time with a jerk like him and look for someone worthy of you.” He paused, studying his friend carefully, before adding, “The world’s a big place, Blu. You don’t have to settle for someone down the street.”

He didn’t let go of Blu- well, more like Blu didn’t let go of him, but he didn’t let go of his chin either so...

_What am I doing?_

He was hardly an inch from his friend’s face and it sent his heart racing. _He’s not real, Bonnie,_ he reminded himself, slowly pulling his hand away from Blu. _He’s a figment of your imagination._ Neither of them moved away. _You’re crazy for even_ liking _him, don’t you_ dare _act on it._ They still just looked at each other, barely any space between them.

_Is it really so wrong, though? Even if it’s not real..._

_You’re completely delusional._

_It’s all in my head, it’s not like it’d_ hurt _anyone._

_You’ll only hurt yourself._

“Bonnie...?” Blu started, watching him.

“I... You’re...” What was he supposed to say? He didn’t know. He didn’t want to talk anymore. “You know that... someone loves you, right?” _I didn’t mean to say that...!_

“I...” Blu looked unsure of himself. “Why...?”

“I don’t know.”

Silence settled around them. Blu’s grip had loosened considerably on his wrist but Bonnie didn’t pull it away.

Somewhere, Bonnie could hear a bird singing.

Then Blu’s lips were on his and he knew nothing else.

* * *

_“I’m sorry,” Bonnie apologized, rubbing the back of his head. “I’m not... I don’t... swing that way,” he told her as gently as he could._

_Well, okay, maybe it could have been gentler._

_The girl in front of him blushed deeply. “You mean you like... boys?”_

_She didn’t seem as upset as Bonnie was sure she should have._

_“Yeah,” Bonnie confirmed, fidgeting. “I’m sorry, Mary.”_

_“His heart belongs to someone else,” Foxy cried overdramatically, falling onto his friend’s shoulder._

_“Foxy!” both Bonnie and Freddy admonished as Goldie snickered. Chica just rolled her eyes and Mary watched as Bonnie’s cheeks burned a shade of red that she had never seen before._

_“I understand,” she told the rabbit, but Bonnie knew she didn’t. She_ couldn’t _understand because what was a very_ real _love was for a very_ not real _person._

_“Thank you,” he told Mary before grabbing Foxy by his ear and dragging him away. Foxy yelped and Bonnie glared at him until they were out of earshot of Mary and her friends. “Foxy, I swear to_ god _I will murder you if you do that again.”_

_“What?” Foxy huffed, rubbing his ear. “It’s true, ain’t it?”_

_“Yeah, but_ you _try makin’ me_ not _sound totally_ insane.”

_“Sorry, mate,” Foxy apologized with a sigh._

_“I thought you’d be done with that mess, anyway,” Freddy told Foxy, frowning. “We’re in college now. Isn’t it a little juvenile?”_

_“Thank you, Freddy,” Bonnie muttered, walking along towards his dorm._

_Of course, Bonnie figured, he should have been done with “that mess” too. He was in college._

* * *

“What’s wrong?”

Blu looked up from his guitar, blinking in surprise. “Oh,” he started, resting the guitar in his lap, “Bonnie. You scared me.”

Dropping down next to his more-than-friend less-than-boyfriend (what do you even call that, Bonnie wondered), Bonnie picked his own guitar up. “Sorry,” he apologized. “You look a little down, though. What’s up?”

Frowning, Blu turned to look over towards the mountain. “We never did go there.”

“You’re changin’ the subject,” Bonnie deadpanned. “We have all the time in the world to go there, you know.”

“Do we?”

Bonnie frowned and watched his friend. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What if this all ends one day?” Blu mumbled, keeping his eyes focused on the mountain. “You’re graduating high school soon and I’m finishing secondary. We’re both eighteen now.”

“I don’t think growin’ up makes this,” Bonnie gestured around them, towards the world around them, “any less likely to happen. In fact as we age it seems to grow with us.”

It was true. The treehouse was still there, and so was the forest and the mountain, but a small town had sprung up nearby. None of the people were real- they always said the exact same things day after day- but it had a nice air about it, and it was fun to go “hang out” like normal teens did sometimes. There was an amusement park in the distance that had appeared when they were eleven and it only grew with every passing year, and there were animals grazing in a field just outside of the small town. A music hall was the center of town rather than a courthouse, and a dance hall was not far from it- he couldn’t even count the amount of times Blu had dragged him there since it appeared.

“Yeah,” Blu agreed hesitantly, “but for how long?”

Bonnie let out a breath and lightly nudged the blue rabbit. “How about,” he started, “we stop worryin’ about the future and live in the present.”

“The present kinda sucks,” Blu snorted, glancing up at him. “You’re the only good thing about the present right now.”

Humming softly in thought, Bonnie leaned over and quickly stole a kiss. “Then how about we liven things up?” he suggested with a smirk, watching as Blu’s cheeks instantly turned red.

“You’re such a pervert,” Blu laughed, hitting his arm.

“Hey, I didn’t say anything,” he protested with a laugh of his own. “You’re the one who assumed I meant that.”

“I know you, Bonnie.”

“Yeah, you do.”

* * *

_It was raining._

_Grumbling quietly to himself, Bonnie headed towards a nearby cafe, trying to protect his laptop bag. He had an essay due the next morning and unlike his best friends, he wasn’t willing to pull an all-nighter._

_Blu was acting strangely recently. Bonnie couldn’t figure it out and had taken to asking his friends if_ he _was acting strangely, too- it was the only thing he could think of that would make Blu act strange._

_His friends just told him that he was always strange. Some help they were._

_Sighing, he ducked inside the cafe and went over to a booth, setting his laptop down._

_“Bonnie!” the cashier called, her tone friendly. “The norm?”_

_“You got it, Alice,” he confirmed, dropping down onto the seat. “But maybe minus the iced part, it’s cold outside.”_

_“Got it, bun,” she laughed, turning to her register and punching in his normal order. Bonnie settled into his seat and pulled his laptop out, powering it on and pulling up his thirteen-page essay. Sometimes he really hated being a junior; being twenty-one and able to buy alcohol was so not worth the stress that came with responsibility._

_He continued typing up the essay, barely glancing down at his notecards as he did, and he barely muttered a “thanks” to Alice as she set his coffee (vanilla creamer, just a pinch of sugar and some caramel drizzle) and his cake (strawberry, Blu’s favourite he knew) down next to his laptop._

_The door opened a few times as people entered either to get coffee or just escape the rain. Around, people settled into tables and booths, but no one bothered the empty seat in front of Bonnie. He paid no one any mind, not even his phone lighting up; he needed to finish the last eight pages before night came._

_However, his plans were derailed by a very familiar voice._

_A voice he’d only ever heard in his dreams._

_“Excuse me, señorita, but do you have hot tea here?”_

_Bonnie looked up, blinking. His heart was racing suddenly._ That sounds like...

_“Actually, yes! What kind would you like?”_

_“Just black is fine, no sugar please.”_

_Quickly, Bonnie turned in his seat to look towards the counter, brows drawn together. The person there was wearing a green raincoat, but the hood was pulled down. Bonnie could see familiar curly hair and long blue ears sticking straight up, and he watched as the patron took black gloves off to reveal blue hands, reaching into his wallet to pull out money._

_“What’cha in town for, stranger?” Alice asked, giving the stranger a smile, but Bonnie had a feeling that the stranger wasn’t really a stranger; a familiar guitar case was hanging off of his back._

_The nametag attached to it read Bonito Rodriguez, and Bonnie_ knew _that name._

_“I’m just here in an exchange program,” the rabbit answered Alice and Bonnie stood up, feeling strangely jittery._

That _is_ Blu’s voice, _he thought, ears twitching. He recognized that voice, that accent, that fur, those ears, that case- he recognized them_ anywhere.

_He just never thought he’d see or hear them in person._

_Alice caught his eye and raised a brow at him, clearly confused. The Spaniard must have caught her expression; he turned around to find what she was looking at._

_Emerald met crimson and Bonnie wondered if he was even awake anymore._

_“Blu...?” he asked hesitantly, staring at those eyes he had known his entire life._

_“Bonnie?” He sounded absolutely shocked and confused- just as shocked and confused as Bonnie felt._

_“What’s going on here?” Alice asked, confused, but Bonnie ignored her for the moment because_ he’s real.

_“No offense,” he started with a slight chuckle, “but I didn’t think you actually existed.”_

_“Funny,” Blu laughed, giving him that smile that always made his heart race. “I didn’t think you did either.”_

_Somehow, everything felt perfect._

* * *

“Bonnie?”

Crimson eyes fluttered open, staring into the sky above before glancing towards the rabbit lying next to him. Blu’s head was on his shoulder and his emerald eyes were watching him, strangely unsure.

“Yeah?” he asked, shifting slightly so he could look at his lover easier. Blu seemed to consider his words, allowing a short, comfortable silence to fall, and Bonnie could practically _see_ him change his mind. He averted his gaze, looking out into the distance instead.

“Will we ever actually go to that damn mountain?”

Bonnie snorted and turned away to look back at the sky. “I don’t think it’s time yet,” he answered, running his fingers through Blu’s fur. “We’re only twenty. We’ve got time.”

Blu sighed but made no complaints as he nuzzled closer to Bonnie. They laid like that for several peaceful minutes until, in the distance, the clocktower chimed seven times. The blue rabbit closed his eyes.

“I have to go soon.”

“I know.” He pulled Blu closer to him, closing his eyes again. The sun was warm on his face but Blu was warmer. “I know. But you’ll be back. You always are.”

“You are too.”

A few seconds of silence passed before Bonnie opened his eyes and glanced down at his blue bunny. “Blu?”

Emerald eyes looked up at him. “Yeah?”

“I think I’m crazy.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m in love with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you understand why I italicized reality and wrote the dreams in normal font, you get a virtual cookie :)


	9. Telling Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Toys were new and shiny, but nothing compared to their eyes... Especially Toy Freddy’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just something, sorry.
> 
> I haven’t been working on anything lately ‘cause I’ve been keeping a close eye on the weather/river- I live in NC along one of the rivers. Thankfully, where I live isn’t expected to get any detrimental flooding since the river is so wide here (where two rivers meet) but I think it’s better to be alert, just in case.
> 
> Title: Telling Eyes  
> Warnings: DESCRIPTION-BASED, Sentient Animatronics, not!mangled Female!Toy Foxy  
> Pairings: None, Freddy/Toy Freddy if you squint

When Freddy first met the toys, his first instinct was to resent them; they were younger, shinier, and “prettier,” so to speak, than he or his own friends had ever been, and it was clear from the childish drawings left on the walls that they were just as beloved.

Their parts were new and their movements smoother, their voices gentler, and their software and hardware was top notch. Their designs _screamed_ 1980’s but their technology was futuristic, expensive, everything that the original Freddy’s didn’t have.

In short, Freddy felt inadequate; they had been replaced with animatronics who could outmaneuver, outsmart, and outdo them. How could they have ever compared?

So he felt bitter and resentful as he stared at the Toy Fazband standing up on stage. He felt no malice, of course- that wasn’t the Fazbear way, after all, they _were_ part of the Fazbear “family”- but...

They were everything that Freddy and his friends _couldn’t_ be.

Then they activated- woke up- and Freddy watched as their eyes- _their eyes_ _-_ landed on him for the first time ever.

And they smiled.

* * *

The Toys looked up to them.

It was strange to Freddy; these four brand new, state-of-the-art animatronics were better than them in almost every way, yet _they_ looked up to _him_ and the other three. It made no sense to him, but he figured it was logical; Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy were older than them. More experienced. They knew things that the Toys would have to learn, things that weren’t part of the programming.

And, he discovered, they might have shared their names, but the Toys were in _no way_ them.

Bonnie and Toy Bonnie were like day and night; where Bonnie prefered to keep his thoughts to himself, Toy Bonnie spoke freely. Where Bonnie was sharply alert and careful, Toy Bonnie was almost mindless, nearly stumbling right off the stage when he went to greet them for the very first time. Where Bonnie was mischievous, Toy Bonnie was sweet. And, as they found out later, where Bonnie’s anger was explosive, Toy Bonnie’s was calm and smooth... but that much more dangerous.

Chica and Toy Chica, Freddy mused, were much alike with one huge difference. They both enjoyed cooking and singing, and they both loved to entertain children and they adored their individual group of friends... but where Chica had a sporty, but motherly, air about her, Toy Chica had a feminine and sisterly air. Where Chica was always the one reprimanding Freddy and the others, Toy Chica was the one being lectured by Toy Freddy and Toy Foxy. Where Chica stayed _out_ of trouble, Toy Chica got _into_ trouble.

Foxy and Toy Foxy- well, it was even more drastic than Bonnie and Toy Bonnie. Not only did the Foxy character undergo a gender change, but it also took on an _extremely_ different personality. Foxy was brash and excited, always running around and leaping over tables just because he _could._ Toy Foxy, on the other hand, enjoyed trouble but never did anything dangerous; she refused to run around, refused to jump over tables, and she, under no circumstances, played with knives. Foxy was carefree; Toy Foxy was vigilant.

Then there was Toy Freddy.

He was distant, that was the first thing Freddy noticed. While his comrades played, he settled down in a corner to just watch, a fond, content smile in place, but he was the first one there if anyone got hurt, quick with a comforting word, gentle chastise and a caring touch.

Freddy was always involved, keeping watch over his friends. Toy Freddy was always detached while keeping watch over his friends. Freddy always stepped up to his role as “leader” of his own crew; Toy Freddy only assumed the role when necessary. Freddy was more like a guardian sibling to his own friends; Toy Freddy was more like a protector. Where Freddy was gentlemanly and a bit goofy, somewhat loud at times, Toy Freddy was gentlemanly, calm, and reserved, never raising his voice. Freddy had never seen him angry, but then he had never seen the Toys disobey him.

Of course, the differences in personality caused conflicts at times, and after Toy Bonnie had a bit of a mental breakdown- _“Stop calling me Bonnie, I’m **not Bonnie!** ”_ _-_ all of the Toys decided to take on new names- names that they felt like were “theirs,” names outside of their programming.

Thus came the names Red, Blue, Vixy, and Chii.

Freddy found them oddly fitting.

They fit _much_ better than Toy Freddy, Toy Bonnie, Toy Foxy, and Toy Chica.

It felt like _them._

* * *

When Freddy first met the Toys, he was struck by their eyes.

Their shells were new, smooth and shiny. Their programming was impressive, advanced, and their hardware was unlike anything a common Joe could get. They were kid friendly and their designs had just enough to keep adults interested, too. Overall, they were pretty damn amazing and they honestly looked _nice,_ to boot.

Yet still none of that could compare to their eyes.

Toy Bonnie’s eyes were green, probably the greenest green Freddy had ever seen. They sparkled and shined, bright and lively in the light of the stage, and the word _emerald_ came to mind.

Toy Chica’s eyes were blue- deep, deep blue- and Freddy was reminded of the ocean which he had never truly seen. Even as he watched the colours seemed to shift, but it was _always_ blue.

Toy Foxy’s eyes were gold, but they seemed more akin to electricity than metal; they sparked and shimmered, almost _alive_ all by themselves as the light hit them at _just_ the right angle.

Toy Freddy, however- _his_ eyes truly amazed Freddy.

When Freddy saw Toy Freddy’s eyes, it felt like the universe was staring right back at him. His eyes were definitely blue, but so many other colours shifted and almost _twinkled_ inside that blue, and darker and lighter shades mingled and swirled together in ways that should not have been possible even for such advanced technology. Those were eyes that _knew_ things- young eyes, yes, but they reflected an intelligence unexpected in any machine.

They were _alive._

* * *

All four of them were new; they were young, they were advanced, they were _unique,_ they were lively and they were shiny. They were unlike anything the original Fazband had ever seen before.

They were beautiful.

But none of that could compare to Toy Freddy’s eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering why I continued using "Toy [Animatronic]" even after their alternate names were introduced, it's because that middle part happened after the last part, too.


	10. 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There were rules at Freddy’s, official and unofficial. Too bad no one ever takes them seriously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a fun little thing I did. Don’t ask why.
> 
> Title: 25  
> Warnings: Mentions of murder, possessive- not possessed- sentient animatronics, and hinted romance  
> Pairings: Hinted Bonnie/Toy Bonnie & Freddy/Toy Freddy

**01\. Do not touch Freddy.**

  1. This goes for Toy Freddy as well. -TF
  2. And Golden Freddy. -GF
  3. GF- what are you, a girlfriend now? -Bonnie
  4. Shut up. -GF



**02\. Stop calling me Mangle. I will bite your face off.**

  1. Don’t call Toy Foxy out on their bluff. THEY ARE NOT BLUFFING.
  2. Serves you right, Bonnie. -TFoxy
  3. TFoxy, can I have my face back now? -Bonnie
  4. No. -TFoxy



**03\. Reminder: Don’t. Touch. Freddy.**

  1. Listen to him, he nearly broke my hand off. -Foxy



**04\. If the name “Bonnie” is on or attached to it, don’t even _think_ about touching it.**

  1. What about Toy Bonnie? -Foxy
  2. Especially Toy Bonnie. -Bonnie
  3. Bonnie, for the last time, I do not “belong” to anyone. -TB



**05\. Reminder: people are not possessions.**

  1. Oh come on, Freddy, I never said that. -Bonnie
  2. You insinuated it. -Freddy



**06\. DO. NOT. TOUCH. FREDDY.**

  1. Strange, this is in Toy Freddy’s handwriting. -TC
  2. STOP. TOUCHING. ME. -TF
  3. Someone’s getting irritated. -TC
  4. Toy Chica, leave Toy Freddy alone. -Freddy
  5. Oh sure, take his side. -TC



**07\. Don’t rip the guard apart before getting to the back room. It’s hard enough to clean the blood out of the floorboards, can we _not_ stain the tile where children play while we’re at it?**

  1. We’re looking at you, Toy Bonnie. -Chica
  2. Don’t blame me, he wouldn’t stay still. -TB



**08\. Reminder: Don’t touch my guitar. Ever.**

  1. It was dirty and needed cleaning! -Chica
  2. No excuse. -Bonnie



**09\. The next person who touches Toy Freddy without his permission will be answering to Freddy.**

  1. I thought this was a rules list, not a message board? -Marionette
  2. Mari, this became a message board ages ago. -TB
  3. I see. -Marionette



**10\. Mates, don’t take my hook and hang it from the ceiling tiles. It’s not funny.**

  1. I thought it was hilarious watching you jump around trying to grab it! -GF
  2. Same! -Bonnie & TB
  3. Why are you two signing together? You two ‘bots bein’ naughty~? -GF
  4. Because we happened to be reading at the same time, fuck off Oldie. -Bonnie
  5. Language, Bonnie! -Freddy & TF
  6. Mmm Freddy’s got some explaining to do! -GF
  7. Fuck off, Oldie. -TF
  8. LANGUAGE. -Freddy



**11\. Inappropriate language will not be tolerated! Under ANY circumstance!**

  1. Fuck you, Freddy. -Foxy
  2. TF wishes. -Chica
  3. I will pretend like I didn’t see that. -TF
  4. Fuck you too ;) -TFoxy
  5. I will shut all of you off. -Freddy
  6. I’m late to the party but damn, Freddy’s pissed.
  7. BONNIE I SWEAR TO GOD. -Freddy
  8. How did you know it was me?! I didn’t sign it!
  9. I know you, Bonnie. I know you. -Freddy
  10. Looks like Freddy’s got some more explaining to do. Sorry TF~ -GF
  11. GOLDIE YOU ARE DEAD. -Freddy
  12. DID YOU JUST INSINUATE SOMETHING YOU ROTTEN GOLD FUCKER? -Bonnie
  13. Hey Freddy, where’s your reprimand? -Chica
  14. This time I excuse it. -Freddy & TF
  15. Rulebreakers. -Foxy



**12\. Whoever touches my guitar again dies, I mean it.**

  1. Actually, that was me, Bonnie. It had blood on it so I was cleaning it. -TB
  2. Oh, that’s okay then. -Bonnie
  3. THAT IS SO NOT FAIR, when _I_ clean it you say “no excuse” but when Toy Bonnie does it’s “okay”?! -Chica
  4. You don’t have permission to touch it. -Bonnie
  5. UGH, Bonnies! -Chica



**13\. Don’t go into the basement again. I mean it, guys, leave Spring alone.**

  1. Spring’s still here? -Chica
  2. Why didn’t we know about this? -Freddy
  3. You’ve got some serious explaining to do, Goldie. We’ve been looking for him for AGES, he’s been here the whole time? -Bonnie
  4. Why’s the lad in the basement?! -Foxy
  5. Guys, don’t bother trying to go down there, he’s deactivated. Too much damage. Just let him lie in peace. -GF



**14\. Do not replace my lullaby with heavy metal. It’s not funny.**

  1. I thought it was hilarious... -TB
  2. It wasn’t. -Marionette
  3. Aw c’mon, it _was_ pretty funny. -Bonnie
  4. You’re only saying this because you’re the one who did it. -Marionette
  5. Bonnie, how many times have I told you to leave Marionette’s music box alone? -Freddy
  6. I dunno, a few? -Bonnie
  7. A few dozen, maybe. -Chica



**15\. You know, when you see someone reading a book, the polite thing is to leave them alone. Not sneak up on them and scare them into breaking your ears.**

  1. Brute! Brute! My ears, dammit! My ears!
  2. Language, Foxy. It’s your own fault. -Freddy
  3. Oh sure, if any of US had broken someone else’s ears, you’d lecture us to hell and back, but Toy Freddy breaks someone’s ears and you’re A-Okay with it. I get it. -Bonnie
  4. I didn’t get mad at you for breaking Toy Bonnie’s ears two weeks ago. -Freddy
  5. I THOUGHT WE ALL AGREED TO NEVER MENTION THAT AGAIN.
  6. Besides, you DID get mad at him. AND me. -TB
  7. That was for breaking rules, not ears. -Freddy
  8. Besides, your ears are easily fixed. Foxy’s, not so much. -TF
  9. Thanks, Toy Freddy. Thanks. -TB



**16\. PSA: We will no longer respond to being called Toy ___. It’s now Red, Blue, Chii, and Vixy.**

  1. I thought you wanted to avoid gendered terms? -Foxy
  2. Yeah well, “Foxy” is technically gendered anyway. Being no-gendered means I can do whatever the hell I want, thanks. -Vixy
  3. Fair enough. -Foxy
  4. This’ll take some time to get used to. -Chica
  5. Yeah well after what happened last night I fully support this change. -Bonnie



**17\. STOP TOUCHING US.**

  1. If you’re gonna touch ‘em be sure to be as naughty as you can get away with. -Foxy
  2. I have no interest in either touching them or getting killed. -Bonnie
  3. Same! -Blue
  4. Touch me again, Foxy, I fucking dare you. -GF
  5. Or else what? -Foxy



**18\. Do not attempt to stuff fully-functioning, suited Old Model animatronics into the newer, PLASTIC suits and then leave them on the roof for the pigeons.**

  1. I told him to stop touching me. -GF
  2. We have to clean him, thanks. For nothing. -Freddy
  3. I told him. -GF



**19\. Just because the security office is empty does not give you free reign of it. Also, you can’t go there to hide or take a nap. You have jobs to do!**

  1. Aren’t our jobs to get the guard at night and take care of kids in the day? -Blue
  2. Reread your job description. -Red
  3. No, literally, that’s what we’re made to do. Minus the murder-thing but hey, we’re innovative. -Blue
  4. Besides, Red, I caught you hiding under the desk reading. WHILE the guard was sitting there! -Bonnie
  5. I plead the fifth. -Red
  6. ... What?



**20\. STOP FUCKING TOUCHING ME I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL**

  1. What’s this?
  2. What? Who’re you? -GF
  3. Uh...
  4. Hello? Where are you? What’s this? -GF
  5. Fredbear? Is that you?
  6. ...



**21\. WHO WENT INTO THE FUCKING BASEMENT?**

  1. This is a ruleboard, Goldie, not an instant messenger. -Freddy
  2. What’s an instant messenger? -Blue
  3. I’m confused, what’s going on? -Chii
  4. Don’t worry about it, Chii. -Chica



**22\. With the recent introduction of Spring Bonnie, we ask everyone to please calm down and let him have some peace.**

  1. Does rule #4 apply to Spring Bonnie? -Foxy
  2. No. -Bonnie
  3. No but none of you fuckers can touch him anyway. -GF
  4. Geez, little defensive there, aren’t you? -Chica
  5. To be fair, he’s really damaged. I think if anyone were to touch him he might start falling apart... -Chii
  6. Guys, you realize we’re all in the same room, right? -Spring



**23\. Don’t point out obvious, useless facts, lads. It makes me feel stupid.**

  1. Sorry... -Spring
  2. Don’t apologize to him, Spring. -GF
  3. Sorry. -Spring



**24\. Don’t insult newcomers.**

  1. Technically Spring isn’t a newcomer, Freddy, he’s older than you. -GF
  2. Don’t bring logic into this. -Bonnie
  3. You guys have a LOT of explaining to do. -Blue
  4. I agree. -Red



**25\. Next time we have a “conversation” like that, just drop dead all of you.**

  1. Wow, not even ten minutes and he already hates all of us. New record? -Vixy
  2. Fuck off. -Spring
  3. To be fair, you guys DID insult him. -Freddy
  4. I’m sorry, Spring! -Chii
  5. I’m going back to the basement, bye
  6. Noooo come back! We need more Bonnies! -Blue
  7. Guys the basement’s locked again. -Bonnie
  8. FUCK ALL OF YOU. -GF
  9. Language, Goldie, he’ll come back out when he feels better. -Freddy
  10. Yeah whatever, Freddy. By the way your little bear disappeared again. Better go find him. -GF
  11. Fuck you, Gold. Fuck you. -Freddy
  12. Right back at'cha. -GF




	11. To Fear Tomorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goldie wonders why Spring doesn't sleep much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a scene I have in my head and I wanted to go ahead and write it out. You’ll see this scene again, though it'll have some major changes (a lot in this scene is left out to avoid major spoilers), but I won’t tell you what story you’ll see it in again (AKA I won’t tell you if it’s a future story or BTM because it’s clearly not Phantom Watchers or Lakeview Road).
> 
> Title: To Fear Tomorrow  
> Warnings: Mentions of depression, anxiety, suicide, and feelings of hopelessness  
> Pairing: Pre-slash Goldie/Spring

He tackled the rabbit, laughing with him as they landed in a tangled heap on Spring’s bed. “Caught ya!”

“Brute!” Spring laughed, shoving Goldie away from him and sitting up. “How rude!”

“You’re the one who was runnin’,” the bear pointed out with a grin, staring up at his friend. It was strangely less awkward than he thought it’d be to be lying in the rabbit’s bed, but he chose not to dwell on that. “Tacklin’ was the best option.”

“Fine, fine,” Spring sighed in mock-exasperation, dropping back down on the bed and looking up at the canopy above. “You said you wanted to ask me something?”

Goldie glanced at the clock, noting the number flashing a quarter to midnight. Besides Spring’s breathing next to him, the only sound in the entire house was the house itself, creaking and settling as the winter wind slammed into its side. “I wanted to know,” he started carefully, looking back towards the golden rabbit, “why you don’t sleep.”

“I sleep,” Spring immediately protested, frowning at him. “I’d be dead if I didn’t.”

“That’s not what I meant, Spring,” Goldie told him, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. The last thing he needed was for Spring to assume he was annoyed with him. “I meant- you wake up at like four in the morning but you don’t sleep until around midnight. It’s not healthy. I just want to know why.”

Spring fell silent, sliding his gaze back towards the canopy. “I dunno.”

It was a lie, Goldie could tell. Spring knew very well why, he was just reluctant to tell him. Frowning, Goldie said, “You know I won’t judge you, right?”

_ Ignoring the fact that I did that years ago, already. _

A silence fell between them, filled only with the sound of wind and the soft patter of the rain starting to fall. Spring’s eyes stayed firmly on the bed’s canopy while Goldie watched him, waiting patiently for whatever to rabbit would say.

Several seconds passed by them before his friend finally answered, softly asking, “Do you know what it’s like to dread sleep?”

“No,” he replied simply, quietly.

Spring turned his head slightly to look over at Goldie, his eyes reflecting the hesitance that was clear in his voice. “When you know that sleep makes tomorrow come sooner, faster... and you know tomorrow won’t be any better than today... when you have everything today under control finally, and you’re able to really smile and laugh because you’re not thinking of everything that’s wrong anymore.” 

Goldie had a feeling he knew where Spring was going with this.

“But,” the rabbit continued, his green eyes locked onto Goldie’s blue, “then night comes and everyone leaves, and you’re left all alone with nothing but your own thoughts, left thinking about the tomorrow you wish wouldn’t come at all, because you know tomorrow is just another today with a chance to be even worse... and you try to keep it at bay as long as possible.” Spring’s eyes trailed away, back towards the canopy above them. “And of course, you also fear the things you’ll see while you sleep...”

“So your lack of sleep is both a coping mechanism and an attempt to subvert time,” Goldie summarized quietly, propping himself up on his arm so he could look at his friend.

Spring looked up at him, looking unsure. “It just seems like the better option is to stay awake.”

“You can’t live forever fearing tomorrow, Spring,” Goldie told him gently. “There’s no way to stop tomorrow coming.”

“There  _ is _ one way,” Spring murmured, quickly averting his eyes. His words sent Goldie’s heart racing; he knew  _ exactly _ what the rabbit was saying, and he did  _ not _ like it.

“No,” he countered, shaking his head. He tried not to let his own panic and desperation slip into his tone; he wanted more than anything to make Spring understand that _that_ wasn’t a solution. “That doesn’t stop tomorrow from coming, that just removes you from the equation. Everything you fear happening would still happen, only you wouldn’t be there to piece everything back together.”

“I just- it’s not like I- I’m not...” Spring started, looking back at him. “I just- I’m not... I know it doesn’t really change things- I know it only makes things worse- I know it’s selfish but-”

“Spring,” he interrupted as gently as he could, reaching over to touch the rabbit’s shoulder. “It’s okay, really. It’s not selfish to want to escape, but it’s not the right way.”

“It’s selfish to hurt others to escape,” Spring told him quietly. “I know what will happen if...”

“Then don’t,” Goldie firmly said, watching him. “I wouldn’t let you, anyway, you know that.” Pausing, he glanced at the bed’s canopy. He had  _ never _ discussed this sort of thing... with  _ anyone. _ He wasn’t sure what he was saying, but... he knew he had to say  _ something. _ “You’re hurt,” he started slowly, looking back at Spring. “It’s not your fault, but you’re still the only one who can change it. But, you know... there’s a lot of people here rooting for you- wanting to help you. You’re not alone.”

He wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to say- he wasn’t even sure if it was reassuring at all- but Spring gave him a small, tired smile and said, “Thanks, Goldie...”

“You should sleep,” Goldie told him, letting himself fall back onto the bed. “I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

The rabbit’s smile looked a little more genuine this time as he said, “You know I’ll wake up ages before you.”

“I’ll still be here,” he pointed out with a little grin, feeling a little lighter as the tense air faded away. “Your bed is  _ really _ comfortable, you know that, right?”

“Only the best,” Spring snorted, sitting up and reaching over to his bedside table. Goldie was happy to see that he was a little more relaxed.

_ Maybe I said something right. _

Spring hit a button on a remote and Goldie watched in bemusement as the bedroom light flickered off. “Rich people,” he scoffed, grinning somewhat as Spring hit him in the shoulder.

“Hypocrite,” the rabbit jokingly chastised, dropping back down onto the bed. “Goodnight, Goldie.”

“G’night, Spring.”

As the two golden Animals settled down into the bed, the rain against the windows the only sound besides their breathing, Goldie hoped it really would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important: in a lot of my stories, Spring is rich. So don't assume just because he's rich here that it's BTM.


	12. Love (Not Always the Best Defense)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detective Freddy Fazbear interrogates Bonnie Henderson and Bonito Rodriguez about the murder of the latter’s mate. Sometimes, however, loving someone isn’t a good enough reason to protect them. Sometimes it only makes things worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was compleeeeetely random. I happen to really like detective shows but I'm terrible at writing detective/mystery/crime fics so yeah.  
> We'll get back to regular programming after this.
> 
> Title: Love (Not Always the Best Defense)  
> Warnings: Mentioned murder, hinted rape/explicitly-mentioned abuse, dominant/submissive-based mate system (more hinted than anything), suggested relationship with a minor (well, more than suggested)  
> Pairings: Bonnie/Toy Bonnie, Other Character/Toy Bonnie (technically one-sided/forced)

“Do you deny the accusation?”

“No.”

“So you... confess to murdering Ryan Gray?”

“Yes.”

Bonnie leaned back in his seat and stared up at his interrogator, arms crossed over his chest. He spoke without hesitation, not at all fearing the consequences of his words.

Freddy, on the other hand, stared intently at him, studying every expression that accompanied every word. After several seconds of silence, he simply asked, “How?”

The rabbit snorted. “Seriously?” he asked, looking at Freddy incredulously. “I jimmied the back door, grabbed a knife from the kitchen and took him out. You know this.”

“More specifically,” Freddy commanded irritatedly. Something didn’t really match up right and it was nagging at him, but he couldn’t place it.

“Fine,” Bonnie conceded, keeping his gaze firmly on the blue eyes watching him. “At midnight I crept up to the back door, I forced the door open, and I went to the kitchen to grab a knife. Yes, I went there fully intending to kill him. Then I went to his bedroom and waited for his mate to leave for whatever reason and I stabbed him six times in the chest while he was in bed.”

And there it was.

“Why?” Freddy asked, slowly shaking his head. “Why would you do something like that?”

Bonnie watched him for several silent seconds before leaning forward. “You know his mate, yeah?” he countered, and Freddy raised a questioning brow. “That boy who’s barely old enough to even smoke. He and I have been friends for a while- not like that,” he quickly added, and Freddy had a feeling it was _exactly_ like that. “We were friends years before Ryan fucking Gray claimed him as his mate. And note those words; _claimed him.”_

“So all of this was over Ryan’s mate?” Freddy questioned.

“No,” Bonnie deadpanned, staring intently at him. “I wouldn’t have minded if he chose someone e... chosen to be someone’s mate,” he amended. “What I _did_ mind was Gray forcing him, and what I _did_ mind was how he treated him afterwards. It was unacceptable. My friend was getting hurt, so I removed the problem from the equation.”

“So it was a revenge killing,” Freddy surmised, and Bonnie simply leaned back in his seat again, neither confirming nor denying it.

It was certainly a good motive, but...

“If you went there with the intention of killing him,” Freddy started, “why did you take a weapon already in the house? Or why didn’t you use the crowbar you’d brought with you?”

The rabbit stared at him for a few seconds. “Because,” he started, “the crowbar got bent and I had nothing else with me.”

It was a lie. _He knows who really did it, though._

“You said you stabbed the victim while he was in bed, right?”

“Yeah.”

Freddy smirked mirthlessly at him. “You should have gotten the real story straight, Henderson. Gray was attacked while he was standing.” The bear stood up from his seat, watching the rabbit’s eyes widen very slightly-almost unnoticeably- at his words. “It was the mate, wasn’t it?”

“Blu had nothing to do with it,” Bonnie immediately growled, standing up. “I told you it was me.”

“You’re protecting him,” Freddy mused, watching Bonnie tense up. “Let me guess, you and the mate- Blu, you called him?- were talking on the phone when Gray interrupted. You, believing your, ah, “friend” was in danger, rushed over to their house with nothing but a crowbar, forced your way into the house, and found your “friend” standing next to the bed where Gray was lying dead, bloodied knife in hand.”

“No,” Bonnie denied, scowling. “I-”

“Then,” Freddy went on, watching the rabbit’s reactions, “realizing he would be charged with murder and basically lose his entire life, you took the knife from him and forced him to change clothes. I wonder, what did you do with the bloody clothes? You managed to cover his fingerprints with your own, so I’ll take a guess that his clothes are buried in the woods somewhere.”

“Blu didn’t do anything,” Bonnie growled lowly. “Even if he did, it would have been purely self-defense, you jackass.”

“How do you know that?” Freddy challenged, leaning forward over the table to look intently at the rabbit. “Because you heard the beginning of Gray’s attack? We have the phone record, you know- we know you were talking to him before the murder happened.”

“Blu didn’t do it,” Bonnie repeated, shaking his head at Freddy. “I told you, it was me.”

“You have the story wrong, though,” Freddy snorted. “And you have a motive to be taking the blame, since you seem to have had a _special_ relationship with Gray’s mate.”

“That also gives me motive for killing him,” the rabbit snarled, this time not denying the nature of his and Blu’s relationship. “And for the record, Blu was mine first; Gray had _no right_ to claim him. So don’t look at me like _I_ did anything wrong- we were together long before Gray came into the picture, and I _hated_ Gray for that.”

“So you admit that you and the mate had a romantic relationship,” Freddy summarized, nodding slightly in understanding. “And assuming that you two really _were_ together before- and after- Gray claimed him, that would give him equal motive to kill. Especially if, as you’re suggesting, he was being abused.”

“Blu had _nothing_ to do with it,” Bonnie repeated stubbornly, but the look in his eyes told Freddy everything.

The rabbit had been backed into a corner; every motive he had to kill Ryan Gray was shared with Bonito Rodriguez... especially since he’d admitted they’d been in a relationship.

What Freddy didn’t get was why Bonnie Henderson was taking the blame. The mate would have had an out- a self-defense claim, though the fact that Gray had been stabbed six times in the chest might have worked to refute that.

It had been a pretty brutal murder.

“I think we’re done here,” Freddy decided, turning and walking towards the interrogation room’s door. There was nothing more he could find out from Bonnie.

* * *

Freddy watched the small blue rabbit sitting in the chair, staring at his hands.

“Bonnie Henderson confessed,” he informed the rabbit. “What do you think about that?”

“I told him not to,” the rabbit mumbled, refusing to look up at him. “I told him not to...”

He walked towards the table and sat down in the seat across from the young rabbit. Briefly he wondered exactly how _long_ “long before” was; this rabbit was barely eighteen, and Bonnie was almost twenty-five.

Not that he could do anything about it; from the way Bonnie had spoken, their relationship hadn’t been sexual. If it had, Gray wouldn’t have been able to claim Bonito as a mate.

“Do you think Bonnie Henderson is guilty?” he asked, not yet telling the rabbit he’d already figured out the truth.

“No!” Bonito immediately protested, shaking his head. “I _know_ he isn’t!”

“Why?”

“Because it was _me,”_ he admitted without any hesitance. Still he refused to look up at Freddy, so he couldn’t really observe the rabbit’s expressions. “He tried to grab me and I panicked, we were in the kitchen and the knives were _right there_ and I just- I just grabbed one and stabbed him. I- he got even angrier... and chased me- I tried to lock him out of the room but he was still too fast so I just- I didn’t mean to kill him, but please don’t arrest Bonnie, he had nothing to do with it!”

“Why did you stab him _six times?”_ Freddy questioned, shaking his head in disbelief. He knew the coroner had told them the wounds weren’t too deep- another reason he had doubted that Bonnie, who was both taller and stronger than the victim, had committed the murders- but six times just seemed like overkill.

Excuse the pun.

“He wouldn’t go down,” the rabbit told him, fidgeting with his hands. “He- he collapsed on the bed after the fourth stab, but I was scared that he’d get back up, so I just... I... and then Bonnie showed up...”

“And he took the knife from you and told you to change into clean clothes,” Freddy guessed, raising a brow at the rabbit. He simply nodded in response. “What did you two do with those clothes?”

“Bonnie took them and buried them out back, in my garden,” Bonito told him, glancing up. “Because it wouldn’t be strange for there to be... you know, freshly-dug soil at this time of year.”

Freddy frowned, watching the young rabbit. “You know,” he started, “Henderson could be tried for aiding in a murder.”

“But he didn’t aid me,” Bonito immediately protested.

“It doesn’t matter, he attempted to hide and falsify the evidence. He tried to protect you. That’s illegal.”

Bonito looked down again. “Bonnie didn’t like Ryan any more than I did,” he muttered, linking his fingers together nervously.

“So Henderson was telling the truth when he said Gray forced you to become his mate?” Bonito flinched at the words but simply nodded in confirmation. “You know you could have just gone to the police.”

“He had friends there.”

_Ah._

Freddy sighed and leaned back in his seat. “Even if you could be acquitted on self-defense claims, you know Henderson doesn’t have the same defense.”

Bonito simply looked at him. “I told Bonnie not to. I even tried confessing first, but no one would stop and listen to me! And when I was _asked_ Bonnie just said he did it and then no one was listening and I just... don’t do that to Bonnie, please,” he begged, shaking his head. “He doesn’t deserve it.”

“I’m afraid I don’t make the laws, Rodriguez,” Freddy informed the rabbit, shaking his head. “You’ll have to plead your case to a judge and jury. If I were you, I’d find a doctor to verify your claims.” He stood up again and headed to the door, barely glancing over at Bonito. The rabbit was watching him, ears flat and expression tight. Even from there Freddy could see a dark bruise around the rabbit’s eyes. “It shouldn’t be too hard,” he added before stepping out of the room and closing it behind him.

He certainly understood Bonnie Henderson’s desire to protect Bonito Rodriguez, but in his attempt to protect him, he had made their defense so much harder.

Although Freddy didn’t exactly condone murder, he couldn’t help but hope the rabbits had a good lawyer. Proving abuse wouldn’t be that hard, all things considered. Convincing a jury that he feared for his life enough to stab his mate six times in the chest, on the other hand...

_The things you do for love._

Shaking his head, he walked away. He had the truth. There was nothing more he could do.

Their fates were up to someone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Left open-ended on purpose. You can decide what happened next~ Do they get out of it or do they go to jail or does one get off scott free and the other sent to jail or what, y'all?


	13. Plushie's First Real Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If there was any holiday Plushie hated, it was Halloween- the one time of year all of his nightmares were brought to life. But his friends had invited him to spend Halloween with them and Spring had agreed to let Plushie go if he wanted, so in an attempt to be brave he went anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had something else planned for this Halloween. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to finish it (blame school) as it was a pretty in-depth creepy/funny thing, so I’ve decided to post this cutesy thing instead.
> 
> Title: Plushie's First Real Halloween  
> Warnings: Halloween! Also, it can be assumed that this takes place in BTM (spoiler alerts!) so mentions of frequent borderline-chronic nightmares.  
> Pairings: None, it’s a Plush/Freddles friendship (they too young to be havin’ romance kay)

“You know you don’t have to do this, Plush.”

The little rabbit pouted up at his older brother. “I wanna,” he declared, despite the fact that he very much so did _not._ “I wanna spend time with Fabio, Fray and Felix.”

Spring bit his lower lip, wringing his hands together. “Are you sure?” he asked for probably the millionth time that day alone. He was worried, Plushie knew.

“Yes!” Plushie answered stubbornly, crossing his arms. “And now you can go to that party Goldie asked you to.”

“He didn’t _ask_ me to it, he asked me if I was _going_ and I told him I wasn’t,” Spring sighed, shaking his head. “You know the others and I are just gonna stay here and watch movies.”

“Well now you can watch the scary ones you won’t let me watch,” Plushie reasoned with a satisfied nod. “See?”

The older rabbit didn’t get a chance to respond as the doorbell rang, the old bell-like chime echoing around the entire house.

“I got it!” Mimi called as she came racing down the stairs, leaping onto the banister to slide down faster, her black “vampire” gown billowing out behind her. Plushie watched Spring’s eyes widen in horror as the darker-furred rabbit went tumbling at the end onto the hard cold tile, and as Spring ran over to help her up Plushie couldn’t help but giggle. “I’m fine, I’m fine, geez,” Mimi laughed, shooing her brother’s hands away as she continued to the door. “Three guesses on who it is!” she called towards Plushie with a wide grin. “Your friends, Spring’s friends, or trick-or-treaters!”

“Trick-or-treaters don’t come around here, Mimi,” Spring pointed out as Plushie made a face. He didn’t like trick-or-treating. Oh, he loved chocolate and candy as much as the next kid, but who just walks up to strangers’ house, especially one decked out like a _haunted_ house?

And haunted houses were an entirely different story in themselves.

“True,” Mimi agreed, pulling the large door open and giving a dramatic curtsy to the family of bears standing there. “That’s why I’m going to the park.”

“I don’t think you should this year, it’s pretty cold out and you’re-”

“Stop worrying, Spring, I’ll be fine, I’m not _that_ far-”

Plushie tuned them out and trotted over to the door, waving at the three bears standing there. Much to Plushie’s relief, none of them were dressed like the monsters he saw in stores; no, the three bears were dressed as Domino, their favourite hero character, but the one on the left wore yellow (Felix, he immediately noted from the way his eyes widened just a bit more than the others’), the one in center wore red (Fabio, he knew, from the way his head was held just slightly higher), and the one on the right wore green (Fray, obvious from the slight slouch in his shoulders). The three children seemed completely shocked as they turned to Plushie. “Hey, guys.”

“You _live_ here?” Fabio, the eldest of the identical triplets, asked, gobsmacked. “You said you lived in a house!”

Plushie furrowed his brow and tilted his head. “I _do_ live in a house,” he told them innocently, not really understanding. “It’s bigger than yours but it’s a house.”

“This ain’t a house, it’s a _mansion,”_ the slightly-older Fray stated matter-of-factly, looking at the house in wonder. Plushie wasn’t sure how to respond, so he just shrugged sheepishly.

“Hey, Shafred,” Spring suddenly called, getting the triplets’ father’s attention. Plushie didn’t bother, though, instead focusing on his friends.

“What’re we s’posed to be doing, anyway?” Plushie asked, lightly kicking at the tiled floor. “I’ve never done anything on Halloween before.”

“You haven’t?” The triplets didn’t look very surprised as Plushie shook his head. “Dad’s gonna take us trick-or-treating, and then we’re gonna go to the park and then the fair.” Plushie tried not to flinch at the mention of the fair- _fast rides and scary people and sudden jerky motions no no no-_ but the cubs seemed to notice anyway. “Don’t worry, you don’t gotta ride if you don’t wanna. There’s lots of fun games to play, too!”

Plushie just nodded slightly to show he understood. He’d only been to the fair once, and after _that_ disaster Spring and Mimi had both agreed to not take him back. The kit could only hope he held himself together better in front of his friends than he had his brother and sister.

“Come get your coat, Plush,” Spring told him, and obediently Plushie went over to his brother who was holding his dark blue coat for him. “It’s cold out.” Plushie pulled the coat on over his own costume- it was a simple “cowboy” outfit, _whatever a cowboy is!-_ and gave Spring a quick hug before darting back over to his friends. “Remember to listen to Mr. Shaf, alright, Plush?”

“Yes, sir,” Plush responded politely. Spring paused and raised a brow.

“Sir?”

“You’re actin’ like a proper dad to him now,” Mimi teased, elbowing Spring lightly. Plushie just blinked and looked at his friends. None of them seemed confused. “Be careful, Plushie, and be sure to come see me in the park~!”

Plushie waved to his siblings and headed outside onto the porch to join his friends, and then they went towards the familiar blue van that belonged to Mr. Shaf.

“Plush,” Felix suddenly started as they climbed into the van, “you guys have a big house and yard but no decorations. Why not?”

The little rabbit considered how to answer that as Mr. Shaf went around checking the seven and eight year olds’ carseat belts (and boy, couldn’t Plushie wait to get out of those). “We don’t have time,” he decided to say, not wanting to admit he nearly burst into tears anytime they even passed the Halloween decoration aisle at the store. _Everything there’s really scary..._ “With school and homework and Springy has doctor... app... ap- visits every other Saturday,” he explained briefly, shrugging.

Mr. Shaf started the car and went around the driveway bend, and Plushie felt his heart beating just a little faster than normal as he glanced at the porch one last time to see Spring watching them, worry clear in his eyes.

The moment they exited the yard, Plushie pointedly turned his gaze away from the window to look at his friends.

“Doctor?” Fabio repeated, tilting his head at Plushie. “Why’s he need a doctor? Is he sick?”

“The doctors say he is,” Plushie told them, frowning as he really thought about it. “But it’s not something that’ll just go away.” He didn’t know how to explain it- he didn’t even understand it himself, and any time he asked Spring, Mimi, or any of the others, they always just told him that Spring was “really sad” and sometimes felt “really bad” if he didn’t take his pills every morning.

He didn’t know how to express this to his friends, however. Mr. Shaf, it seemed, decided he didn’t like the way the conversation was going as he interrupted with, “What do you four think you’ll be gettin’ in your bags?”

Plushie turned to look at Mr. Shaf now, completely unsure of how to answer. The triplets, however, clearly had no reservations on that.

“Snickers!” Fabio immediately started.

“Twixes!” Felix added, bouncing in his seat slightly.

“Candy corn,” Fray deadpanned, earning a snort from Mr. Shaf and two cries of horror from the younger and elder triplets.

“Candy corn?” Plushie repeated questioningly, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

“You’ll find out, trust me,” Fabio answered sagely, nodding his head. “It’s the worst candy ever.”

“Yet becomes a guilty pleasure,” Mr. Shaf put in. Plushie didn’t understand that phrase but figured Fabio, Fray, and Felix didn’t agree as they all wrinkled their noses. “Just wait until you’re my age.”

“That’s forever away,” Felix giggled.

“Fine, wait until you’re Spring’s age.”

Plushie tilted his head slightly. “Springy’s eleven years older than me,” he informed Mr. Shaf. “That’s still in forever.” This earned laughs from the triplets and a snort from their father, and Plushie couldn’t help but smile.

He glanced outside towards the children running and laughing together, each group with an adult or two with them. Even through the scary and pretty and cute costumes, Plushie noticed, they all looked so... happy. The chatter and laughter behind him from his friends only seemed to highlight this fact, and in the light of their laughter and conversation, the decorations- _witches, tombstones, mummies, skeletons, spiders and webs...-_ didn’t seem so scary anymore.

Relaxing, Plushie turned back to his friends, grinning slightly. All three returned perfectly matching grins of their own.

Maybe Halloween wasn’t so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you can't tell, my Freddles are completely 100% identical and the only way to tell them apart are slight nuances in their behaviors (Felix's reactions are slightly more "innocent", i.e. eyes widen/brighten more, Fabio has straighter, "better" and more authoritative posture, Fray has more relaxed, somewhat "lazy" posture, etc). Plushie, who learned from an early age to not judge by appearances (considering what his brother looks like), is one of the few people who can tell them apart with just a glance, which is why Plushie manages to become friends with them and they're so accepting of his odd little (adorable) quirks.
> 
> Spoiler alert for the future, Spring (and Plushie's and Mimi's) relationships (friendships) with Shaf (and the triplets) will become VERY, VERY important later on in Golden Rule. Specifically Golden Rule, not the others. I won't tell you the why or the how. Just know that it is VERY important.


	14. Slip of the Lip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT TURN BACK NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS OKAY DON'T READ THIS PLEASE
> 
> I haven’t worked on the next chapters for Lakeview Road or Phantom Watchers as I’ve been focused on getting BTM done. I have 6 chapters completed finally, it’s taken forever ‘cause the entire chapter’s like a giant cross-reference but I am happy to say that the upcoming chapter of BTM is the very last entirely-cross-referenced chapter; actions start actually happening in the chapter after this one which means you're not reading the same damn events from ten different POVs.
> 
> So anyway, as an apology for not having updated BTM in two months, plus not having worked on Lakeview Road or Phantom Watchers, have a spoilertastic sneak peek at a future scene I’ve written for one of these stories! You’ll figure out which one it is preeeetty quickly, heh. Now don’t get excited, though; this scene will actually show up within the next three-four chapters, so you’re not getting anything amazingly spoilery.
> 
> Title: Slip of the Lip  
> Warnings: Talks about abuse, hiding abuse  
> Pairings: None (pre-Bonnie/Blu)

“For someone so smart you sure are stupid,” Bonnie grumbled as he wrote down the appropriate equation. “Can’t even get up and put a stop to this shit.”

The sound of a pen tapping and a short growl got Bonnie to look up, raising a brow at the scowling blue rabbit. Rodriguez leaned over the table, as if whatever he was about to say wasn’t meant to be overheard by any of the other lab teams.

He discovered he was exactly right as when Rodriguez spoke again, his voice was quiet and low- so much so that, barely a foot away, Bonnie himself almost couldn’t hear. “Listen here, Henderson,” the smaller rabbit hissed at him, anger flashing through his eyes, “You don’t know a  _ thing _ about me and you don’t know what’s going on with me. You are  _ not _ a part of my life, so stop talking as if you are.”

Bonnie raised an unimpressed brow at the rabbit. “I’m not sure if you’ve realized this yet, but whether we like it or not I  _ am _ a part of your life now- at least until school ends,” he pointed out boredly, not bothering to keep his voice down. He knew no one was listening.

Rodriguez apparently disagreed. “Like shit,” he growled, voice still low as he glared at Bonnie. “We just happened to get partnered together in a science class. That does  _ not _ make you part of my life, Henderson.” Bonnie rolled his eyes and turned his gaze back to his labsheet, filling the column in mechanically. He already knew how the other rabbit’s little spiel would go. “You have no goddamned right to come in here and accuse my parents of  _ anything _ , Henderson, so go get a life and  _ stay out of mine. _ ”

_ Wait... what? _ Bonnie looked up, a strange, tight expression crossing his face.  _ Did you just say...? _ Rodriguez had already returned to his own labsheet, filling in the required numbers, so he didn’t notice Bonnie looking at him. Bonnie wasn’t about to let him off the hook, though. What he had just said... its  _ implications _ ...

“Rodriguez...” he started slowly, his voice dropping to nearly a whisper in the middle of the name. With a scowl, the blue rabbit looked back at him. Now, that fading bruise stood out even more to Bonnie... because now he had a horrible feeling he knew  _ exactly  _ who was responsible for it.

_ I was right. _

“What?” Rodriguez demanded hotly, tapping his pen against his paper impatiently.

Bonnie set his own pen down and leaned across the table, staring at Rodriguez with steely red eyes. He watched the way the rabbit’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, the way his tapping stilled, the way his arm shifted to in front of him... as though he was protecting himself. He watched the way he tensed up, the way he seemed to enter fight or flight mode.  _ It all makes perfect sense. _

“What?” the younger rabbit repeated, fidgeting as he watched Bonnie simply  _ stare  _ at him. Slowly, Bonnie shook his head at the rabbit, his brows drawing together as he kept his eyes on the other’s emerald.  _ You fucked up again, Rodriguez. _

“I never said anything about your parents.”

The blue rabbit’s eyes widened slightly and he seemed to freeze at Bonnie’s words. It was clear that he, too, realized that he had just made a mistake. A  _ big _ mistake. He had just given Bonnie one more piece of the puzzle. 

Bonnie just watched him, still leaning over the table. Rodriguez looked like a deer in the headlights.

Although the room was filled with the sound of voices as partners discussed the lab, the silence between the two rabbits was almost deafening to Bonnie. He had caught Rodriguez in the middle of a mistake and there was no way that the rabbit could take back his words. Bonnie knew that and Rodriguez knew that- he could tell by the emotions flitting through the younger’s eyes. Shock, fear, panic, worry, desperation... He was struggling to find a way to dismiss Bonnie’s words.

It might have worked if he hadn’t kept eye contact with Bonnie in those ten long, tense seconds of pure silence.

“I... I must have misunderstood,” Rodriguez finally said, his voice wavering slightly. It was bullshit and Bonnie knew it- and Rodriguez  _ knew _ Bonnie knew it. “S-sorry.”

“Freudian slip,” Bonnie replied simply, not letting up on his heavy stare. “If it’s your parents hurting you, you  _ have _ to-”

“No!” Rodriguez hissed, his eyes narrowing and his ears flattening. “Don’t you get it, Henderson? You’re misunderstanding everything-  _ no one _ is hurting me, stop saying someone is.”

“Rodriguez, that’s  _ bullshit _ and you  _ know  _ it,” Bonnie growled in frustration, struggling to keep his voice low. “And I’m telling you right now, if  _ you _ don’t do something about it then  _ I  _ damn well  _ will. _ ”

The shorter rabbit just silently stared at him for several seconds as though he was at a loss of what to say. “They won’t find anything,” he finally declared, just staring back at Bonnie. His voice was confident but his ears were down and his eyes somewhat... dead looking. “They never do.”

His words left Bonnie in shock, eyes widening slightly as he straightened up, and he stared at Rodriguez as the other rabbit turned back to his labsheet, his grip on his pen tight and his expression tighter. 

It was a confession- a confirmation that Bonnie was right, that he had come to the right conclusion. Rodriguez was giving up the fight, not trying to deny it anymore... because Bonnie was right, and that brought absolutely no comfort to Bonnie as he realized a few different things at once. It wasn’t a single confession- he wasn’t just confessing to the abuse.

In one way or another, Bonito Rodriguez had just told him that his parents were abusing him... and Bonnie wouldn’t be the first person to report it. It had been reported and investigated before. No one ever found any evidence...

Because Rodriguez covered it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you don't know, I have dozens of future scenes of BTM and Phantom Watchers written out, mostly PW. I haven't written out any of the key future scenes for Lakeview Road yet (a few are in my head but they haven't gotten to document/paper yet), but I am armed to the hip with small, spoilery but not completely ruinous scenes like this.
> 
> Like I said, this shows up within the next 3-4 chapters (with many, many alterations to fit with edits I've made since writing this) so I don't feel too guilty sharing this. 
> 
> I should be done with the next chapter of BTM by, latest, Sunday evening. Earliest, tomorrow evening. As I said at the top, I have 6 chapters finished (Goldie, Spring, Bonnie, Blu, Freddy, and Foxy) and 4 to finish (Alfred, Mangle, Chica, and Chii). I think I can get the writing done by Saturday, but I want to allow myself time for the proofreading, editing, and cross-referencing/fact-checking for accuracy, and also allow myself a little downtime and time for homework, so I'm setting a deadline for Sunday evening (or Monday morning, depending).


	15. What's in a Name? Everything -Sneak Peek-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonnie and Blu have another conversation on a far away planet about a certain name. If you can't tell, it's a Phantom Watchers sneak peek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, so, uh, I didn't get any writing done this weekend because I got sick yesterday (Saturday) and I'm sicker and GETTING sicker even as I post this ahaha, so sorry, I don't have BTM done (have 2 1/2 chapters to go) or anything else so I wanted to update y'all with a oneshot so I took one of my future scenes and am posting it here, DON'T READ if you don't want it (partially) spoiled how BLU TELLS BONNIE TO STOP CALLING HIM BANDI. Okay. Okay.
> 
> Title: What's in a Name? Everything  
> Warnings: SPOILER FOR PHANTOM WATCHERS  
> Pairing: Pre-romance Bonnie/Toy Bonnie

“Bandi-”

“Stop calling me that!”

Bonnie paused, startled at the sudden shout. The Rabbit’s back was still to him, so he couldn’t see Bandi’s expression. “What?”

“Stop calling me Bandi,” he bit out, refusing to turn and look at Bonnie.

“But it’s your name,” Bonnie pointed out, feeling incredibly lost.

“I hate that name,” Bandi countered, ears flat. Bonnie thought he could see them trembling. “I’m not _Bandi._ Bandi is just some stupid _mask_ I have to please my parents and stay out of the camps. The name my dad gave me but _I’m not Bandi!”_

There was a waver in the other Rabbit’s voice. Cautiously, Bonnie began approaching him. “Then who _are_ you?” he questioned carefully, not wanting to set the Rabbit off even more.

_Thinking about it, Fredric has_ never _called him Bandi. He just calls him..._

“Blu. Just Blu. I’m _just Blu,_ not _Bandi_ fucking _Cator!”_

It was almost shocking, the amount of loathing the Rabbit held for that name. _Bandi Cator._ He had spat it as though it were a curse worse than the one he actually used.

Bonnie didn’t know how to react. What was he supposed to say? That he understood? He didn’t understand. “I don’t understand.”

The Rabbit- Bandi? Blu?- turned his head slightly, glaring at Bonnie out of the corner of his eye. “Bandi Cator is just some certified-genius science student whose only goal in life is to be everything his parents _want_ him to be,” he spat. “He’s just some organic _robot_ who feels nothing and wants nothing. _Blu_ is just some kid who wants to be more than that. _Blu_ is the kid who resents his parents and wants to just play music and enjoy life while he still has it. _Blu_ is the one kid in all of Lapinia who thinks _Lacatra_ should just be _Lacatra_ and not _Colony Alpha C 301,_ and _Blu_ is the kid who wants _nothing_ to do with technology. Take a guess which is the real one!”

He couldn’t answer. He knew the answer, of course- the blue Rabbit had already said which one was him, after all- but he just couldn’t speak. Not because of the Rabbit’s words... but because he was _crying._

Bonnie stared, somewhat shocked, as the Rabbit turned around to face him. His cheeks were flushed and his mouth was pulled into a scowl, but the tears in his eyes were spilling over, leaving clear tracks in his fur. He had seen the teen distraught, scared, worried, and upset... but not once, even when faced with certain death, had he seen the blue Rabbit cry.

It just wasn’t right.

The younger Rabbit was trembling and his voice wavered as he continued, “I’m _tired_ of trying to be what everyone _expects_ me to be, I’m _tired_ of being my father’s son, I’m _tired_ of pretending I’m not bothered at all by what’s happening, and I’m _tired_ of hearing that name! Bandi, Cator, Bandi Cator- just _st-stop already!”_

He could do nothing but watch as the Rabbit finally cracked, the broken sob escaping before he could even register what was happening. The Rabbit- _Blu-_ covered his mouth and turned away, closing his eyes tightly, but still the tears didn’t stop- still he trembled and his breathing hitched, completely unable to stop.

“I-I’m so _tired_ of b-being _him,”_ he finished, refusing to look back at Bonnie as his voice cracked. “I’m s-so _tired_ of b-being _c-compared_ a-and... and _expected_ a-and I d-don’t _want_ that... p-please, just _stop...”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bro I'm hella sick I might not even be able to go to class tomorrow which is not good, it's a statistics class and I'm gonna miss so much


	16. The Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red and Freddy talk about Ardraw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here I am. I have an essay to write before Tuesday but I have time, and I am finally better. I went to school Monday, instant regret; stayed home Tuesday, returned to school for Wednesday and Thursday and today is now Friday. I’m not 100% yet but I’m much better and can finally finish the last 2 ½ chapters left in BTM. And maybe finish a few more of the 18 started oneshots in my oneshot folder...
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy this future scene that takes place in Phantom Watchers but is not actually going to be IN Phantom Watchers.
> 
> Title: The Nights  
> Warnings: Mentioned death, superstition, SPOILERS  
> Pairing: Freddy/Red friendship, can be seen as pre-romance 
> 
> *Note: As much as I love it, the pairing Freddy/Red is not actually in Phantom Watchers (mainly due to Red's age) though it may be heavily hinted, but if I were to do a sequel it would definitely appear then since in a sequel Red would be somewhere between 18 and 20 (that's a hint at how much time passes from beginning to end in Phantom Watchers!) Also, I actually already totally have an idea in mind for a sequel, but let's get through this one first eh?

“Are you alright?”

Blinking, Red looked up from the wood he was carving to find Freddy watching him. The Ursian looked almost strange- foreign, even- without a shirt or his shoes on. The shallow gash on his shoulder caught Red’s eye, but he chose not to mention it. He really didn't want to talk about the day's events.

“Yes,” he answered instead, turning his gaze back to the wood. “Just concerned.”

Freddy took a seat beside him, wincing slightly as the movement pulled at the primitive stitching in his shoulder. “You said nights here are much like they are on Ardraw?”

Red glanced back at him and nodded a confirmation before adding, “Only here it’s more than the cold trying to kill.”

Freddy frowned at his words and turned to look over the stream. There was a torch pressed between two rocks between them, offering both light and warmth to the clearing. “I think they’ll be alright, Fredric.”

“That wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard that,” Red told him softly, looking down at the carving in his hand. He wasn't sure what it was yet, but it was taking shape. “And the first time I heard it, they were dead wrong.”

_Literally._

There was a moment or two of silence before Freddy asked, gently as he could, “A sibling?”

Red didn’t answer for a few moments, thinking about that night seven years before- the fire had been burning strong that night, too, and everyone dressed as warmly as they could be despite knowing it would never be enough to fight the deadly chill. He could remember sitting there by the fire, his mother’s arm wrapped tightly around him as various other adults searched the forest around, each as hopeless yet hopeful as the next.

He could remember that morning when they finally found him.

“A brother,” he finally said, brushing away woodchips and continuing to carve out the figure. “He was fourteen. Hated village life and thought he could make it to the city before nightfall. Told me so himself. Needless to say, he didn’t.” He let out a breath through his nose, carefully running the crude blade around the... he still wasn’t sure what it was. “He didn’t even make it to the forest edge.”

There was a respectful silence before Freddy asked, “Were the two of you close?”

“He was several years older than me,” Red told him, glancing towards him, “so not as close as you and your brother are. But we did care a great deal about each other.” He paused and turned the wood over in his hand, looking at it in the firelight. “Family is important on Ardraw. We don’t have much but we have each other.”

“Your parents must be worried.”

Red considered his words for a few moments. Of course he knew his parents were worried... but it had been so long already, there was no way they were still holding out hope that he was alive.

“The truth is," he started softly, "the village government has probably declared me dead long ago. They’ve done the mourning and are on their way to moving on already.”

There was movement next to him and he glanced back over at the older Bear, who was frowning at him. “Why would they just declare you dead? It’s been hardly two weeks by Ursian time.”

“My brother was missing for a single night, Freddy,” Red explained, shaking his head. “If there’s been no sign of someone for three days, nine times out of ten it’s because they froze to death in the forest or got eaten by the wildlife. I don’t know how long it’s been by Ardrawn standards, but it’s been more than a week at the very least. Logic would dictate that I, like my brother, am dead.”

He turned back to the wood in his hand, carefully trimming a rough, pointed edge off. “I know my parents miss me,” he added quietly, “but when I finally go back I’m not even sure if I’ll be welcome home. They might think me cursed or undead or something... which probably sounds ridiculous to you.”

“It’s just a cultural difference,” Freddy excused, turning his own gaze back to the stream in front of them. Red kept his own on the carving, which he realized was becoming a person. “I understand.” The young colonist had a feeling that Freddy's words meant more than just his people's superstitions.

He decided not to ask. Freddy didn't explain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm considering making a Phantom Watchers related oneshot collection to post scenes that don't make it into the final cut of a chapter/center around characters/pairings not actually in the story itself, such as this scene... what do y'all think?
> 
> Important to note in that collection, it would be SOLELY Phantom Watchers, and the scenes would only be uploaded within the same timeframe that Phantom Watchers is happening. For example, if Bonnie has to leave a conversation that is important, the conversation would appear in the oneshot collection while Bonnie is doing... whatever. I would label each scene with its associated Phantom Watchers chapter, and if I did this I would title the collection; Phantom Watcher Extras. Or something like that. It would also include the other, less prominent pairings like Mike/Jeremy, Foxy/Mangle, etc etc. And, you would get to see... drumroll please... more Shafred and Bonsha~!
> 
> AnditmightalsogivemoreinsightintothestorythatBonnieandBluwillnothave ;)


	17. To See Without Sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every day seemed to be harder than the last. It only got worse, and as it did Alfred lost more and more hope. Thankfully, he had Freddy there to help him hold on to the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a random thought. This isn’t a spoiler for any stories I have (or is it?) but the truth is I like a Toy Freddy who has vision problems (especially since my version of him loves reading) and has to wear glasses (if it’s correctable).
> 
> Fun fact, going blind is one of my deepest fears! No joke, yo. I have a vision problem myself that no one can figure out the cause of and I used to think I was going blind. I’m an art student. If I can’t draw or read, I’d be absolutely miserable. I guess I sort of transferred that into my Toy Freddy...
> 
> Title: To See Without Sight  
> Warnings: Blindness, feelings of hopelessness  
> Pairing: Pre-established Freddy/Toy Freddy

When he was a child, it had never occurred to Alfred that he’d one day be like... this.

Of course, there were a lot of things he never expected.

He never expected his mother to just leave. He never expected to become a well-known writer. He never expected that, one day, he’d be lying in bed next to Freddy Fazbear, comfortable in the silence of a perfect night.

He never expected the accident.

The normalcy of everyday life faded little by little every single passing day. At first it didn’t bother him. At first he could just curl up in his chair with the radio on, reading his book like nothing was happening.

The blurriness came first. It was easily countered with glasses. However, it was just a downward spiral from there; first he only needed glasses when he read, then he had to wear glasses when he drove... and then he couldn’t drive at all. The doctors were clueless; the only thing they could determine was that it was caused by the accident he’d been in the year before.

He started struggling to read his contacts list on his phone; even the big letters seemed hard to read and even harder to comprehend. Then he began fumbling, overestimating or underestimating just  _ where _ the object was or grabbing it incorrectly. 

One day he woke up and realized he couldn’t distinguish one drawer from the other- they all blurred together into one mass of colour. He found himself running his hand across the wood, looking for the handle-  _ why can’t I find it? _

He couldn’t read. He couldn’t write. He could barely dress in the mornings because  _ I can’t make heads or tails of this. _ Cooking, something he once enjoyed, became a safety hazard; he couldn’t even chop up carrots for fear of accidentally cutting his own fingers off. It was frustrating.

But then he got used to it. Freddy and the rest of their friends did, too, and they all fell into a routine of some sort- a routine that took the strain of being legally blind off of Alfred, a routine to make life easier for him. For a while, everything was fine; he could still type, after all, and he could still play his music. When he wanted tea, Freddy was happy to make some; when he needed to go to the store, Spring or Blu were readily available if Freddy wasn't home; if Freddy was away on business, Chii and Chica were more than willing to "help" him cook, though "help" was a bit generous considering all they let him do was sit at the table and talk to them while they made themselves at home in his kitchen... no matter what, someone was available to help and were only a few buttons away. It wasn't ideal to Alfred, but it was alright; he still did what he could. He could live with this.  


_ It can’t get any worse than this. _

It did.

He didn’t notice it at first, not until Blu approached him from the left. Not until Blu called his name for his attention and he nearly jumped out of his skin because  _ I didn’t see him. _

Until that moment, he had been good at picking up movement- especially from the mass of bright blue that was his energetic best friend.

_At_ that moment, however, he realized he could see nothing from the corners of his eyes. Nothing but an inky darkness.

That was when it finally hit him- like a truck full of bricks going a hundred miles an hour;  _ I’m blind. _

It was that moment that sent his world to pieces; he wouldn’t be able to read, writing would be an even bigger challenge, he’d never be able to just walk across his house-  _ will we have to move somewhere without stairs?- _ and he would never see his friends’ faces again.

He’d never see Freddy again.

* * *

A year and forty-four days.

Alfred laid in his bed, an arm draped over his eyes.  _ Not that it helps. _ Elsewhere in the room he could hear movement as Freddy got ready for bed- the sound of his feet against the hardwood floor, the sound of cloth against fur, the soft _click_ of the closet door...

A year and forty-four days.

That was all it took to go from perfect vision to virtually none at all.

That was all it took for Alfred's life to go from perfect to an everyday struggle.

Just a year and forty-four days.

The comforter shifted and the mattress dipped down as his partner climbed into bed. Alfred gave no reaction, but he knew Freddy knew he was awake.  


“Alfred?”

The bear moved his arm from his eyes to turn in the direction of Freddy’s voice. If he concentrated hard enough, he could make out the barest hints of an image, but he knew it was dark in the room since Freddy was lying beside him, and he didn’t feel like straining his eyes, knowing nothing would come from it.

“Yeah?”

He felt Freddy’s hand touch his shoulder. It was warm and comforting, and instinctively Alfred reached up to grab it. “Everythin’ will be alright.”

_ This is hard for him, too. _

He wanted so badly to see Freddy’s face- to see Freddy looking at him. More than that, he wanted to see Freddy  _ smiling _ at him.

He wanted to feel like he wasn’t completely tearing Freddy’s world apart.

He wanted everything to be fine... but it wasn’t.

Freddy gently touched his face. “Everythin’ will be alright... I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Alfred sighed, letting go of Freddy’s hand and turning his face away. He really didn’t want the older bear to notice the tears stinging his eyes- if he hadn’t already noticed. “This isn’t somethin’ that can just be fixed...”

“No, it’s not,” Freddy agreed softly, “but it  _ is  _ somethin’ we can learn to live with.”

“There’s no choice.”

“There’s always a choice, Alfred. We can either just sit here wonderin’ what happened and let it tear us all apart, or we can accept it and move on.”

Alfred let out a breath and closed his eyes. “I know.” He felt Freddy’s arm slip around him, pulling him close to the larger bear. He nuzzled closer to the warmth.  _ At least I can still feel.  _ “I’m just uncertain about everything now.”

“I know... but we’ll be fine. You’ll see. No matter what happens our friends'll still be here, and when we wake up tomorrow you’ll still be right here with me... Things change, but not everythin’ changes.”

They let the silence fall over them, neither of them daring to break it- not yet. Alfred was content to lie there and listen to Freddy simply breathe and live, closing his own eyes and remembering how those ocean eyes always looked at him.

As Freddy nuzzled him and gave him a kiss on the forehead, Alfred couldn’t help but smile; even though he couldn’t see them, he knew Freddy still looked at him that very same way.

Alfred just had to learn to see it in other ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You notice I don't use any visual cues in here? Everything is hear or feel ;)
> 
> Also, 2 chapters to go on BTM, but I have essays these next few weeks so sorry if BTM gets even more delayed... blame my being sick and upcoming finals...


	18. Walking Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blu was just heading over to the park when he found himself on an empty city road, surrounded by nothing but silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was bored but I don’t have the attention span to work on the final two chapters of BTM, or the next ones of Lakeview Road or Phantom Watchers... and I don’t feel like working on my essays ahhh...
> 
> So enjoy this instead! *slapped*
> 
> Title: Walking Dead  
> Warnings: Parallel Universes, post-apocalyptic AU, some gore?  
> Pairings: None, potentially pre-Original/Toy, pre-Golden/Spring

“Take care, Bonabon, and tell your folks hey for me!”

“Will do, Mr. Redford!”

As soon as the door fell shut behind Blu, his cheerful smile fell into a scowl. “Call me Bonabon again and see what happens,” he growled, hopping down the steps of the store and onto the sidewalk. Glancing both ways across the street and seeing the light was red, he darted across.

As he reached the other side, he paused to shift the bag in his hand so it wasn’t cutting off circulation in his fingers, and he adjusted the guitar case on his back. With that done, he sighed and closed his eyes, heading down the sidewalk towards the park. He didn’t want to tell Mr. Redford the truth. It was something no sixteen year old wanted to admit. At least, no sixteen year old with any amount of pride.

He wouldn’t be telling his folks “hey” for Mr. Redford... because he didn’t live with them anymore.

It was fine, though. He had clothes, he had money, he had his guitar- everything would be alright. He was alright.

No more putting up with angry voices and hurtful words. No more being told that it was _his_ fault that all of his friends ran away- that _he_ was the problem, that _they_ were just trying to keep him in line. No more sitting there and just taking it when they decide he was misbehaving... no more having to hide the truth from them.

Two simple words was all it took for them to turn their backs on him.

Blu had no one to confide in.

Sighing, he opened his eyes again and smiled at a passing elderly couple. “Mornin’, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony!”

“Good morning, Blu,” the couple greeted, but neither they nor Blu paused to chat; they had two completely different destinations.

Weaving through the morning crowd wasn’t the hardest thing to do in the suburban areas, but once he reached the city itself... well, he had become an expert at weaving through the crowds. Slipping between people, taking shortcuts through brightly-lit alleys, taking advantage of the slowed traffic to run around a group of teenagers from his school... it was all routine by that point.

He turned down the alleyway that he knew would lead him directly to the park, but he paused. The alley where he stood was bright, but the further in his eyes trailed it changed; it became dark, the lights seemingly blown, and trash littered the ground. The city workers never allowed their beloved streets to become this way; they even refused to leave dumpsters in the alleys on Main Street to decrease the chances of getting jumped going through the alleys... and yet there, clear as day, was a dumpster just _sitting_ at the end of the alley, four or five cinderblocks just lying on top.

The park beyond was empty, which was very strange for that time of day.

A strange, eerie silence echoed down the alley.

Something collided with Blu’s back, and he stumbled forward into the alley. Catching himself on the wall, he turned around, ready to apologize for being in the way, but...

Nothing was there.

Where there had been a crowd of people and its accompanying sounds, where there had been traffic, there was _nothing._

The wind blew a loose sheet of paper past. Cars simply sat, abandoned, in the road, doors open and, in many cases, ripped completely off. The doors to the businesses lining the street were either closed tightly, gaping wide open, or not there at all. Windows were shattered and powerlines laid across the ground, and traffic lights hung above the streets.

He saw one traffic light lying on the caved roof of a car.

A putrid scent was in the air, one that Blu didn’t really recognize, and he became hyper aware that the alley he was standing in was dark.

Quickly, Blu stepped out onto the sidewalk, back into strangely dim sunlight, and looked around. Up and down the street revealed much of the same; abandoned cars, trash littering the streets, sealed or vandalized buildings... strange stains...

The stains Blu recognized, and his heart began beating painfully. _Bloodstains._

The bloodstains were random, but they were everywhere; against walls, on the sidewalk, over the asphalt, on cars... Blu shuddered, his grip tightening around the grocery bag he held in his hand. His guitar felt heavy.

He swallowed. His throat felt suddenly dry, and his heart was beating a million miles a second it felt like.

“Hello...?” he started, hesitantly walking down the street. He reached the intersection and looked around the building. It was more abandoned cars and ransacked buildings, more trash, more... nothing. The rabbit continued walking, looking around. “Is anyone here?”

His voice seemed to echo around the empty streets, but only silence answered him. His heart in his throat, he kept walking until he reached the road that the park was on. There was still no answer, no sign of life.

Blu walked towards the park, noticing the abandoned cars in its parking lot and the empty, dry field that he knew should have been green.

_Something is so wrong here,_ he thought, stopping. _What’s going on?_

Something moved. Blu’s attention snapped over to it and he found himself looking at a person. They were lying in the shadow of a car, their back to Blu. The rabbit just barely noticed blood trailing down their bare back in thick, dark streaks. As the person moved, the smell became stronger.

Resisting the urge to gag, Blu took a small step towards them. _They’re hurt,_ he thought, though his instincts were screaming at him to run- _get out get away get out get away._

“Hello?” he called tow the person, watching as it shifted again. His stomach twisted. “Do you need help?” He took two more small steps forward, but then he froze.

The person began pushing itself up and Blu saw its hands- its skinless, boney, blood-covered hands. Blu could have sworn for a moment that he saw a glob of flesh and blood and possibly mucous fall off.

Then _it_ was turning around, and Blu’s eyes widened in horror at what had obviously once been a person.

Once upon a time.

Its jaw was shattered, its mouth hanging open with sharp, jagged teeth lining it- looking like they had burst from the gums after the person died- and its cheeks seemed to have been ripped right up to the ears, as if it had opened its broken jaw too far. Its eyes... well... it didn’t _have_ eyes. It looked as though someone had physically clawed them out, emphasis on _clawed,_ and the entire left side of its neck was gaping open, bone and _gore_ hanging out.

It looked like a mauled corpse.

Blu felt sick.

“Oh my god,” he breathed, taking several steps back. The corpse tilted its head at him, its shredded ears drooping to the side, and ten it let out the most god-awful sound Blu had ever heard.

Like something between a shriek, a cry, and a bubbly, bloody _laugh._

Then it was _running_ at him.

It happened so fast that Blu didn’t even have time to register what was happening. As the thing’s hands latched onto his arm, he let out a frightened scream and, without any consideration for the person this _thing_ had once been, he hoisted his bag, full of _glass_ drinks, and brought it down as hard as he could on its head.

The glass shattered and dark brown, carbonated liquid spewed forth, and the thing _shrieked_ as its grip let go- its bony fingers thankfully lacked claws- and it stumbled back, reaching up to grab at its crushed skull in pain and anger. Blu backed away, dropping his gore-covered bag in horror. He hardly noticed the thing’s blood had dripped down onto his shoulder.

_Skulls aren’t supposed to break that easy!_

Greyish-pink gunk seemed to melt out of the hole in its head and it shrieked and stumbled towards him, the brown liquid of Blu’s cola mixing disgustingly with the blood and semi- _liquid_ brainmatter, and Blu was so glad he hadn’t eaten that morning. He was sure that, if he had, his breakfast would be all over his shoes.

The smell was _horrible_ and the thing’s cries even worse. Blu turned on his heel and ran as fast as he could, wanting to escape the corpse- it was stumbling and shuffling around, as though it couldn’t remember what it was trying to do- as well as the scent.

His stomach twisted more.

When he rounded the corner, however, he found himself skidding to a halt; more _things_ began pulling themselves out of cars, out of buildings, out of alleys... each looking just as much like a mauled corpse as that first one had.

Each were covered in gore and blood. Many were missing the skin around their mouths, others were missing the entire lower jaw, and then more had shattered, gaping jaws. Eyes were gouged out, ears ripped off, limbs missing, chest cavities ripped open, _skin melting away_ and blood dribbling down their clothes. Some even had daggers embedded in them, and others had bullet holes.

The smell was overwhelming, and Blu stumbled backwards and turned around, but they were _that_ way too- and they were running right at him.

_I’m dead,_ he thought, his legs feeling weak. They were converging on him from all sides, undoubtedly roused by the agonized shrieks of the first. _I’m so dead._ He felt tears sting his eyes as he desperately looked around for somewhere- _anywhere!-_ that he could go. With only a few seconds to decide, he ran for the alley he had almost gone down, and without even considering it he jumped up onto the dumpster, but _there’s nowhere else to go!_

He looked back towards the road where the _things_ were, then looked around desperately for a ladder or a fire escape. He spotted a ladder hanging above his head, but it wasn’t lowered; he couldn’t reach it. He was too short.

_Who knew my height would be the death of me?_

The thought crossed his mind before he could stop it, and as it did he felt a hand circle around his ankle. He let out a startled, disgusted squeal at the feeling of blood seeping into his fur, and he didn’t hesitate to slam his other foot down on the wrist. It snapped off without incident and the thing- _zombie?-_ shrieked as it fell back, its hand falling away from Blu’s ankle. He kicked it away, ignoring the way it landed in another _thing’s_ gaping mouth-hole.

Another sound penetrated the moaning and the shrieking; the sound of a window sliding open. Footsteps on metal. Eyes widening, Blu looked up right as another rabbit- _clean and in one piece and not covered in gore and blood-_ stopped above the ladder.

The rabbit pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot, taking only a second to aim. Blu winced and looked in front of him in time to watch one of the corpse’s fall; it had started to climb the dumpster, but the bullet had _\- impressively,_ though he had no time to ponder it- hit it right between its eye sockets.

With a shrieking metal-on-metal clatter the ladder fell down next to Blu, and he didn’t hesitate to climb up, more than a little relieved when his ankles were no longer in grabbing distance of the horror. He didn’t get a chance to pull himself up, however, as the rabbit grabbed his arm and hoisted him up.

Blu yelped, startled at the stranger’s sudden touch, but then his feet were on metal and the violet rabbit was pulling the ladder back up.

“Oh you have a _lot_ to answer for, kid,” the rabbit growled, making sure the ladder wouldn’t slip before turning around and grabbing his shoulder- the blood-covered one, he notice. “Did they bite you?” He didn’t get a chance to respond before the rabbit dismissed his own question, saying, “Oh like you’d admit that, Freddy and Goldie’ll check you over.” Then Blu was being pulled up metal stairs, and he had no time- or ability- to protest as the other rabbit forcibly dragged him along.

A red fox was leaning out a window. “Everything alright, Bonnie?” he asked, stepping aside as the rabbit- _Bonnie,_ apparently- practically shoved Blu through.

“Hey- stop pushing me!” Blu complained, scowling, but went ignored by both Animals.

“Crazy rabbit was just standing out there,” Bonnie informed the fox, slipping through the window and slamming it shut. “Who is he, anyway?”

“I don’t recognize ‘im,” the fox answered, looking at Blu. He circled around the smaller blue rabbit, and Blu felt himself instinctively tense up. “What’s yer name?”

Blu blinked, looking between the two Animals. “Uh... I’m... Bonito,” he answered slowly. “Bonito Rodriguez. What’s going on here?”

The two Animals shared a look, then the fox reached up to his left ear and hit something- _a radio,_ Blu realized. “Freddy,” he started, “I think we found another’un.”

Whatever “Freddy” answered, Blu didn’t know, but suddenly he found himself being led down stairs. He barely had a chance to glance around at the abandoned building, but he instantly recognized it.

It was one of his friends’ apartment complexes... just like in Durmont.

_I_ am _in Durmont,_ he told himself, allowing the rabbit to pull him down into the basement. When they reached the basement, however, the fox and rabbit both pulled open a heavy metal door, which led _further_ underground, and Blu, no idea what else he could do, just followed.

When they reached the bottom of the tunnel, Blu realized they were in the underground; two platforms were on either side and two different sets of track sat between, covered in what looking like padded tarp as people walked across them. Further into the tunnels he could see the remains of a train, clearly repurposed as a barricade, and a look at the _other_ tunnel showed that it, too, had a repurposed train acting as a barricade.

Not too far away he could see one of the subway exits, but it- and all of the others, he assumed- was blocked... possibly all the way up and down the stairs. Boxes and boards and metal covered the exit, and then there was barbed wire all around it.

Clearly that was a no-go zone.

The door to the tunnel shut behind them but Blu simply looked around, wide-eyed, at all of the people down in the tunnel. Many had turned to look at them, but most continued on their way, doing whatever they were doing. Two bears, a brown bear and a gold bear, were making their way over to them.

The golden bear blinked at them. “Wow, you’re young,” he commented, and the brown bear lightly hit him. “What? It’s true.”

“He’s not that much younger than us, probably,” the brown bear sighed, and Blu suddenly decided that _this_ must be Freddy... _the other must be, uh, Goldie was it?_ “He only looks younger because he hasn’t been through what we have.”

“So he _is_ one of them?” Bonnie prompted, rounding Blu to look at him. “I dunno if he’s been bitten, it doesn’t look and didn’t feel like it so I figured it’d be okay to bring him to you.”

“It’s fine,” the bear agreed, turning his attention to Blu. “Who are you?”

“Bonito,” he answered immediately, glancing around. His arm where that _thing_ had been gripping him was starting to hurt. “What’s happening? Who _are_ you people?”

“Where do you think you are?” the bear continued without answering.

“I’m in the Durmont Subway,” he answered, glancing around. “Obviously. That’s the exit on Main Street, and that tunnel we went through was to the Arlington Apartments... what does _that_ have to do with anything?”

“Well, at least he’s from Durmont,” Bonnie sighed, glancing towards the ceiling. “Do you think the others know him?”

“Call the others, Foxy,” the bear Blu presumed to be Freddy commanded. “We’ll see if they recognize him. Tell them to meet us in the medic tent.”

“Right-o, Fredd-o,” the fox, Foxy, confirmed. Blu didn’t get a chance to ask more questions before he was being led towards a tent near one of the tunnels.

“What’s happening?” Blu repeated, not bothering to tell Bonnie to keep his hands to himself. He wasn’t sure he could have made it on his own; his legs wanted nothing more than to just give way. Therefore, he was somewhat relieved when those hands pushed him into a chair. It wasn’t comfortable or anything, but it was better than standing.

“Definitely not from here, though,” the golden bear said to the brown. “Do you recognize any of us?”

“No, I don’t.”

“I’m Goldie,” the bear introduced. “This is my brother Freddy, and this is our friend Bonnie.”

“I kinda pieced that together already,” Blu muttered, allowing the rabbit to take his guitar case away. He had hardly remembered he’d been wearing it. _Well that explains why I feel like I’m dying._ The brown bear, Freddy, didn’t even ask before pulling his shirt off. “Hey!”

“We have to check you for bites,” Freddy explained simply, dropping his shirt off to the side. “Besides, I doubt you wanna walk around in bloodied clothes.”

“A little warning, then,” he complained, turning to look away in embarrassment. Being shirtless wasn’t a problem, and being shirtless in front of his friends hadn’t been a problem either, but shirtless in front of strangers? That was just humiliating.

“Man up,” Bonnie snorted, setting the guitar case against a box. Blu frowned, but he made no complaints as Freddy and Goldie checked him for bite marks. Thankfully, they were only interested in searching the places where they saw blood- that is, his shoulder, arm, and ankle.

“They’re comin’, Freddy,” Foxy announced as he bounded into the tent. “Ooh, lad gettin’ searched.”

“Sod off, Foxy,” Freddy sighed, shaking his head.

Blu watched as someone new entered the tent, and as soon as he saw the familiar red-tinted brown his ears perked up. “You wanted to see us, Freddy?” that oh-so-familiar voice asked right before deep blue eyes fell on Blu.

“Blu!” a fox squealed, practically shoving past the bear. Their white-and-pink fur seemed darker than what Blu remembered, but he would recognize those burning golden eyes anywhere.

“Mangle?” Disregarding the older bears, he jumped to his feet, eyes wide. “Red?” The fox scooped him up into their arms, and instantly he squealed. “Hey!”

“Well I guess that answers that,” Bonnie snorted from behind them. “I thought you said Bonito, though.”

“Bonito is his real name,” the smaller bear informed the rabbit, walking over to Blu as Mangle set him down. “I was hoping not to see you here, but I suppose it’s better knowing you’re safe.”

“Where the _hell_ are we, Red?” Blu almost immediately demanded, his ears flattening. “I was on my way to the park and was about to cut between Arlington and Baymar’s when suddenly I’m _here_ and those _things_ and I don’t know what’s going on!”

“Calm down, Blu,” Red immediately started, grabbing his wrists and lifting them up as he had always done in the past. “I didn’t know what was going on, either. As far as I can tell, we’ve all slipped into some other reality,” he sighed, lightly rubbing Blu’s scarred wrist. “Apparently here, zombies happened. I’ve found no one we know, so my best guess is either they all died or this world is filled with people who never existed in ours.”

“Blu?”

Blu’s gaze snapped to the tent’s entrance, where a chicken darted through, blue eyes wide. “Oh my god, Blu! Spring, it’s Blu, he’s here!” Red released his wrists right in time for Blu to catch an armful of excited chicken. “I was so scared you were dead or something!”

“Chii?” _They’ve all been missing for months._ “S-Spring’s here too?”

Chii released him and nodded. “Wow, I never thought I’d slip into a zombie-infested alternate reality filled with zombies and people who don’t exist in ours, and I certainly never thought _all_ of us would,” she laughed, but the tears filling her eyes told Blu she was much more affected by it all than she let on. “When the others were here I thought for sure you were too- I thought you were dead, oh god...”

A golden rabbit approached quietly, and Blu turned to look at his final friend. His friend looked a little worse for wear, with a few new scars that Blu didn’t recognize, but that telltale scar across his eye and the torn ear told him exactly who it was.

Spring gave him a shaky smile. “I was hoping this wouldn’t happen to you,” he started, wringing his hands together. “This isn’t a good place to be, Blu...”

“Heh, my life just gets worse and worse,” Blu dismissed with a forced grin. “At least I know you guys are alive o-or didn’t run away or... or...”

His friends shared a look and Blu realized he was crying. Freddy, Goldie, Bonnie, and Foxy were just watching them, none of them saying anything- no snide comments, no answers, nothing. Chii simply pulled him back into a hug, and for a moment, as Mangle joined them, it was almost as if they had never been gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I made you squirm or gag :D
> 
> If you didn't catch it, it's insinuated that Blu's parents were abusive and that they kicked him out when he came out. "No more having to hide the truth from them." "Two words." Etc.
> 
> Also, in case you don't get it, Freddy, Bonnie, Foxy, Goldie, and Chica (sorry she wasn't in here) are from a post-zombie apocalypse world while the Toys and Spring are from a world more like ours, not-apocalypse, and somehow slipped into the apocalypse world.


	19. Pennies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny for your thoughts?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guys, I have this AU that I really really love and absolutely want to make into a comic. I don’t think I’ve spoken of it on here, but until A) I get a better art program and B) I get better art skills, I can only write about it. This AU, I have everything figured out, from the little hints and foreshadowing to the ending. I just have so many other priorities right now (BTM, Lakeview Road, Phantom Watchers, art, and school being among them).
> 
> These are just little excerpts of scenes I have in my head. I’m not gonna give away any major spoilers, but I will tell you that, as expected, the story is centered around Bonnie and Blu. Also this AU contains magic. 
> 
> In case you didn’t know, I fuckin’ love magic. And fantasy. You give me a fantasy, especially one with magic in it, and I will eat it up. Why, then, do two out of three of my stories take place in reality/semi-reality? Because, that’s why. *slapped*
> 
> Title: Pennies  
> Warnings: Maaaaaagic~, parallel dimensions, symbolism, obvious plot devices, Mangle has an unspecified gender  
> Pairings: In this, there are no pairings, but the UNIVERSE’S pairings are obvious; Bonnie/Blu main, sides of Goldie/Spring and Freddy/Al, hinted Shafred/Bonsha, undertones of Foxy/Mangle and Chica/Chii and Mike/Jeremy.

_“Penny for your thoughts?”_

_“What?”_

Breathe in. Breathe out.

_“Penny for your thoughts?”_

_“Why are you giving this to me...?”_

Eyes closed. Remembering.

_“My father gave this to me soon after you were born. When he did, he told me something that I will never forget.”_

It hurt to remember.

_“Pennies are for good luck. When you’re going through a hard time, just take this and figure it out.”_

A hard time. That didn’t even begin to describe this moment.

His eyes opened.

_“But you can’t keep the good luck all to yourself. Pass it on when you’ve figured it out. Give someone else a little luck. Don’t keep it all to yourself...”_

His ear twitched. Outside of the apartment, he could hear whispered voices.

_“As much as life can hurt... and though it may try and break us...”_

He closed his eyes. The picture of the crowds cheering surfaced in the darkness.

_“There is always hope.”_

A crowd of smiling faces, cheering for them, shouting out their love and admiration...

_“And once you’ve found your hope...”_

A crowd of people who didn’t really care about them at all.

_“Help someone else find it.”_

He could really use a penny.

* * *

Green eyes stared out towards the west. The wind blew through his fur, the scent of the sea surrounding him.

Footsteps from behind alerted him to his apprentice’s presence. “It’s happening again,” he said softly, never taking his gaze from the horizon.

“It is,” his apprentice agreed. “What will we do?”

“We do what we must.” The green-eyed figure lifted his staff, the orb set into the gold glowing blue. The light from the orb shot into the sky, and immediately clouds began forming, blocking the stars from sight.

In the distance, thunder rolled.

“We will fail,” the apprentice warned. “The townspeople...”

“I know. They will never accept this, but... we have no other option.”

“I know.”

* * *

_“Penny for your thoughts?”_

_“W-what...?”_

_“Penny for your thoughts?”_

_“I... why’re you giving me this?”_

_“My mom told me pennies were for luck. She said when you were sad or mad or if anything was wrong, all you had to do was take a penny and figure it out. But she said you need to share it, and pass it along.”_

_“I... I don’t get it...”_

_“That’s okay. You can give it back when you do. So... penny for your thoughts?”_

* * *

“Oi, mate, what be them clouds there?”

The fox narrowed their eyes at the sky, leaning forward to get a better look. Clouds were forming in the distance at an extremely alarming rate... “I assume clouds,” they snorted, though they weren’t really sure themself. “Looks unnatural, though, Cap’.”

“That’s what I be thinkin’,” the captain sighed, leaning against the side of his ship to look down at the sea. The waves began to get choppy as thunder rolled in the distance, and wind suddenly slammed into the ship, sending it careening to the left. “Blast it!”

“How’s that happenin’?” the first mate questioned, gripping the railing. “We be fair miles from that storm!”

“Aye,” the captain agreed, gritting his teeth. “There be only one explanation fer it, mate.”

The two foxes locked eyes, and an understanding passed between the two of them as the ship rocked beneath their feet, the wind forcing it to turn completely around.

“Sorcery.”

* * *

 **“T** oday marks the one year anniversary of the disappearance that shocked our community; a child of no more than six disappeared around Alban Creek. The only lead investigators had was a single shoe caught on the bank of the creek, but no other evidence has been found in the ongoing investigation...”

 **“A** fter nearly two years of investigating, the case of the child who disappeared by Alban Creek has been dismissed. No new leads have been found, and there is no evidence that the child is either alive or dead...”

 **“B** reaking News! Adult male disappears at Alban Creek, only his tie found. Could this be related to the missing child case from four years ago? Investigators are looking into it, but they have no comment as of right now...”

 **“A** fter months of investigation and another disappearance, it is believed that there is a serial killer on the loose. All residents of Durmont are recommended to stay indoors, and police have set up a perimeter around Alban Creek. Keep your kids safe, parents!”

 **“A** nother Alban Creek disappearance? Hikers found a necklace sitting in the creek bed. Could this belong to Rena Browne, who disappeared late last September? UPDATE** Rena Browne has been confirmed to have been in the Alban Creek area, and the necklace has been found to belong to her. Investigators are calling this a confirmed Alban Creek disappearance...”

 **“S** even years since local child disappeared, declared dead; family makes no move to counter...”

 **“T** en years have passed since the mysterious disappearance and presumed murder of a local child. Since then, we have seen four other confirmed disappearances, and investigators are unsure how many unconfirmed there may have been; some sources claim that people have been disappearing around Alban Creek for nearly a century now, but most of these claims have been dismissed by police and locals...”

 **“T** his town has seen a dramatic rise in Alban Creek disappearances, including police officer Ryan Grey and private investigator Cynthia Morgan. In the last decade, we had seen only five disappearances; however, in the last year alone we have seen eight missing people, all confirmed to have been around Alban Creek. Police are once again setting a perimeter and sweeping the area. So far there are no leads besides a sock, a wedding ring, and strangely enough a set of dentures. They were all dead ends, and there is still no suspect for the disappearances and presumed murders. More to come.”

* * *

_He stared intently at the water, the sun reflecting off of the surface. He didn’t want to go home... so he didn’t. He just sat there, knees drawn up to his chest, and watched as the lazy current pushed leaves and sticks downstream._

_It was peaceful._

_With a small sigh, he pulled the penny out of his pocket and looked at it, frowning. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do with it. He didn’t know who that kid thought he was- what could he have possibly understood?_

_There was no such thing as luck._

_A burst of anger suddenly flared up in his chest, and without second thought he found himself throwing the brownish coin. It hit the water, sending a splash a few inches in the air, and he watched with tearing eyes as the coin sank innocently to the bottom, not even affected by the current._

_It glinted in the sunlight, and the child found he couldn’t tear his eyes away from it. Several seconds passed by before he climbed to his feet and, without even removing his shoes, jumped into the water._

_The sand on the bottom felt like it was trying to suction his shoes off but he didn’t care. He waded through the shallow water, which was nearly to his shoulders- it didn’t seem very shallow to him, but it was hardly three feet deep and he wasn't much taller..._

_After several seconds of wading, he paused above the glinting bronze light, tilting his head and considering his options. A few more seconds passed before he took a breath and dived down into the water._

_It was further than he thought, he realized as he swam down to the penny. Something didn’t seem right there, but he paid it no mind; instead, he reached out to touch the penny, but he found that he kept having to swim deeper... and deeper... and deeper..._

_The moment his fingers finally curled into the sand and around the penny was the moment he realized the creek wasn’t that deep at all- he was several yards beneath the surface... but... he shouldn’t have had to dive at all. He clutched the penny._

_He was falling._

* * *

“Hey, rabbit.”

“What?”

“Catch.”

Instinctively, he raised his hand to catch the glint of copper flying towards him. He opened his palm and looked at the heads-side of a penny staring up at him. The date proudly declared that it was 1976, and it still gleamed as brightly as if it had been made only yesterday.

Something inside him stirred.

_Breathe in, breathe out..._

“What...?”

“Penny for your thoughts?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm only posting this because I'll be unable to write anything until at least Thursday, possibly all the way to the weekend. There's been an emergency and I'll be in Alabama from tomorrow until Thursday at the EARLIEST, so nothing can be worked on or updated. Life's hitting me like a ton of trucks, apparently; I get sick, then I have exams/essays/projects, and now a family medical emergency. I'm really sorry about this.


	20. Little Moments: The First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the little moments that count, and at Freddy's Mike has an abundance of those. Maybe enough to save more than five broken down robots, too...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is something I wrote waaaay back in June. I have 3 written, and the idea was for a story made up of "little moments" between Mike, Freddy, and the gang. The Toys and Springtrap/Spring Bonnie in this particular series wouldn't have shown up for a long, long time.
> 
> This is the full summary: It’s the little moments that count. Share in the moments leading up to Mike’s strange friendship with the Fazgang and watch how these moments change the course of their story, giving Freddy & co. a reason to care and giving Mike a reason to live.
> 
> NOTE: Sentient AU, follows canon up to the first FNaF. This means animatronics are alive AND haunted, and the Springtrap suit is currently murderer-free (and the murderer is still alive).
> 
> Title: Little Moments: The First  
> Warnings: Sentient AU, twisted canon, pre-1987 and 1987 murders  
> Pairings: None

**_The First_ **

Freddy and his friends’ fates never changed. They always ended up destroyed and the spirits always ended up dooming an innocent animatronic. They always lose their children, their friends and their lives. It was the way their fates in every world had played out, from beginning to end, and though they would never know it was how they would always play out.

Michael James Schmidt’s fate, on the other hand, always changed. Sometimes he would leave after the first night. Sometimes he would die. Sometimes he would finish his week and never come back again. When he left, sometimes he’d go back to school and get a “real” job. Sometimes he’d end up in a psychiatric ward. Sometimes he’d commit suicide. Sometimes he was successful, sometimes he was a failure, but his fate was always different.

Perhaps it is because Mike’s fate always changed that he was able to change the fate of the animatronic gang- and not just the fate of the five he knew best, but  _ all  _ of them. Mike didn’t know what he was doing that day, of course; he didn’t know how it would change the course of the rest of his and thirteen other lives.

The day that Michael James Schmidt chose to stay for the very first time was the day a new story began.

* * *

“Dammit, I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Mike sighed, running a hand through his messy brown hair. He was standing outside the pizzeria, keys in hand. It had taken a lot of convincing to keep from being fired, but he had managed to convince his boss to give him one more week. “Why did I come back?”

Sometimes Mike felt  _ sure _ that he wasn’t always in control of his actions because  _ really _ , who would choose to stay at a job where they could be stuffed into a furry metal suit filled with crossbeams and wires and shit? But he dismissed the strange thoughts and unlocked the door. It was only eleven, so that gave him ample time to mentally prepare for tonight’s horror show.

After he stepped inside and locked the door firmly behind him, he turned to the stage to look at the Fazband. They were staring straight ahead, holding their props in their hands and looking oh so innocent in the restaurant’s light. Mike knew better, though. He knew what those three were capable of.

The human heaved a sigh and approached the stage, stuffing his hands into his pockets. His left hand curled around the medicine kept there. “Hey there,” he greeted them casually, as though he did not have two close calls the week before. “Remember me? Yeah, I’m back. Crazy, I know, but what’s new to me?” He laughed mirthlessly, studying the animatronics with his bright blue eyes. 

His brow scrunched up when he noticed a slice of pizza sitting on Bonnie’s shoulder. “Wow, how did that happen? And no one noticed?” He wondered aloud, pulling his right hand out to look at his watch. 11:05. He still had fifty minutes.

A moment or two of silence passed before he shrugged and grabbed a napkin left out on a nearby table, jumped up onto the stage, and reached up to carefully pick the cold, stiff pizza from the animatronic’s shoulder. 

“Geez, doesn’t anyone do their job?” He muttered, getting down to throw the pizza in the trashcan. Turning his gaze back to the band, he pursed his lips in thought. “You guys could use a good wash,” he decided, glancing at his watch again. 11:06. “I have time…”

Mike turned around and headed towards the supply closet. He knew well enough how to clean robots- he had always been interested in robotics and such, actually, so he knew just how to avoid getting too much water in the joints and circuits. He quickly located the cleaning supplies and headed back to the stage, starting first with the fresher pizza stain on Bonnie’s shoulder. The animatronics were all only a foot or so taller than Mike, who was 5’9” himself, so it wasn’t that much of a stretch for him to clean the gunk out of their fur. 

Not everything would come out of course, including a handprint on Freddy’s face, but they were hardly noticeable once he was finished.

“There. Not quite like new but better than before,” Mike sighed, dropping his arms by his sides as he stood in front of Freddy. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll bring in cleaning supplies that were made in  _ this  _ century. If I survive, anyway,” he added with a snort, glancing at his watch. Cleaning had taken thirty minutes. He still had twenty minutes to spare. With a sigh, he put the cleaning supplies away and headed back towards the office. “Maybe I’ll come in early and fix Foxy’s jaw, too,” he mused to himself, unaware that he was leaving behind him four very confused animatronics.

Mike didn’t notice the difference, though. It was Monday, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The genres of individual chapters vary but in this AU it's overall a family/friendship/hurt/comfort dynamic. Eventually in this AU when the Toys are "saved" (AKA retrieved from storage and fixed up) there might be hints of romance because I'm a freak like that.
> 
> Back to writing BTM now. Almost done!


	21. Christmas Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some rules need to be set out this Christmastime at Freddy's...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I enjoy these things. I know it's too early for Christmas but I figured, why not XD
> 
> Some of these things can be left up to your interpretation/imagination ;)
> 
> Title: Christmas Rules  
> Warnings: Language, sentient robots, mentions of sexual situations between robots??? dafaq  
> Pairings: Heavily hinted Bonnie/Blue, Freddy/Red, lightly hinted Chica/Chii, Goldie/Spring, briefly mentioned Shafred/Shab

**01** ) For heaven’s sake, please, keep all gifts child friendly!

  1. We’re looking at you, Bonnie. -Chica
  2. Really? I’m looking at Foxy. -Bonnie
  3. I’m not the one who was plannin’ on wrappin’ meself up, mate. -Foxy
  4. Who the _fuck_ was planning that? -Bonnie
  5. I’m looking at Vixy. -Chii
  6. Well I’m looking at Blue, so there. -Vixy
  7. Why me? -Blue
  8. I’M LOOKING AT ALL OF YOU SO SHUT UP. -Freddy



**02** ) All gifts must go underneath the tree in the back room, not the main room. We don’t need the staff snooping through our belongings.

  1. Aw but the tree in the main room is so much prettier! -Blue
  2. It’s true! And bigger! -Chii
  3. I don’t care, we don’t need staff actually looking into the night guards’ claims. -Red
  4. Booooriiiing -Bonnie
  5. Hahahahahahaha -Gold



**03** ) LOOK UP THE WORD “LEGAL” BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING HOLY SHIT

  1. Gold, you look a little freaked out. Something wrong? -Bonnie
  2. You know exactly what’s wrong, the _fuck_ is that I saw in the spare parts room?! -Gold
  3. You’ll find out. -Bonnie
  4. IT ISN’T FUCKING LEGAL BONNIE
  5. We’re robots who routinely kill grown-ass men working an illegal nightshift at a shady-ass company, and _this_ is wigging you out as “illegal?” -Bonnie
  6. He’s got a point there, Gold. -Freddy
  7. See, Freddy agrees with me. -Bonnie
  8. Freddy go fucking LOOK at what he’s done and tell me this isn’t crossing a line.
  9. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS BONNIE?!
  10. Dammit. -Bonnie



  **04** ) Whoever replaced the star with a Freddy plush, stop. It’s not funny.

  1. It’s even less funny when it’s BB himself. -Freddy
  2. Alright. -Blue
  3. Putting a Bonnie plush on top isn’t okay either! -Freddy
  4. How’d you even reach up there? -Bonnie
  5. I never said _I_ was the one doing it! I just happen to know who _is._ -Blue
  6. Who’s doing it then? -Red
  7. Heh heh heh... -Mari
  8. You have got to be fucking kidding me. -Bonnie
  9. Well. -Freddy



  **05** ) Don’t hang mistletoe _everywhere._ It leads to awkward situations and you fucks won’t let us out of it. I’m looking at you, Vixy and Chica.

  1. Oh don’t even pretend like you didn’t like having Blue there with you. -Chica
  2. What I didn’t like was having _Freddy_ there with me. -Bonnie
  3. Or Gold. Wanna talk about awkward. -Freddy
  4. You got off lucky, I got stuck with Red. Thought for sure I was gonna get killed! -Chii
  5. What, Freddy staring you down like a hawk scared ya? -Bonnie
  6. I did not stare her down like a hawk, stop telling lies. -Freddy
  7. Ye kinda were, mate. -Foxy
  8. Yeah... and I thought Bonnie could be a scary-jealous. -Blue
  9. Hey! -Bonnie
  10. How about instead of writing notes on a rules list, you help me GET RID OF THE MISTLETOE?! -Red
  11. How ‘bout no. -Bonnie
  12. How ‘bout we dismantle you and use you for tinsel. -Red
  13. Coming! -Bonnie



  **06** ) Repeat after me: Tinsel is for the tree, not the inside of suits. We don’t stuff tinsel in the suits we stuff guards into. We don’t giggle maniacally as we stuff a night guard into a tinsel-stuffed suit. We don’t then proceed to “decorate” the suit for the humans the next day. We do not waste tinsel that way.

  1. I dunno, I thought it looked nice painted red. -Blue
  2. Tell me again what you see in him, Bonnie? -Chica
  3. Shut up, Chica. Blood is a nice merry colour, anyway. -Bonnie
  4. IT TURNS BROWN, LAD, BROWN! We have silver and _brown_ tinsel now! -Foxy
  5. But it was red for a short while! -Blue
  6. Besides, it was kinda fun. -Chii
  7. And now I understand, Bonnie. -Chica
  8. You’re all crazy, I love it! -Vixy
  9. You got blood on my book, Blue. -Red
  10. Uh oh...
  11. Fuck.
  12. I’m so dead.
  13. Run.



  **07** ) Don’t piss anyone off during the holiday season, we only have a finite amount of resources right now.

  1. I DIDN’T KNOW HIS BOOK WAS RIGHT THERE
  2. IT’S BRIGHT ORANGE AND YELLOW, IT’S AN EYESORE, IT WAS SO OBVIOUS!! -Red
  3. He’s got a point, laddie. -Foxy
  4. But now it’s bright orange, yellow, and brown. -Chica
  5. Careful, lass... -Foxy



  **08** ) Stop being a scrooge, Gold.

  1. I’ll stop being a scrooge when you stop being a dumbass, Bonnie. -Gold
  2. I think this negates #7, guys... -Chii
  3. And the entire holiday spirit! -Vixy
  4. I’ll stop being a scrooge when you stop being so fucking optimistic. -Gold



  **09** ) Really, guys? Really?

  1. This ain’t a rule. -Bonnie
  2. Fine, here; don’t be so fucking immature. -Freddy
  3. Ooh, Freddy’s mad. He just cursed. What happened? -Bonnie
  4. I think he found the body pillow we got for him. -Blue
  5. Ohhhhh that would explain it! -Bonnie
  6. What? -Chica
  7. Where’d you even get one of those? It’s 1987, it’s not even “pop-culture” yet. -Mari
  8. ... Huh? -EVERYONE
  9. Nevermind. -Mari
  10. Haha I understood that. -Gold
  11. I know you did. -Mari
  12. Psychic fucks. -Bonnie



  **10** ) Note: When insulting “psychic fucks,” do think about the consequences.

  1. Why did you put Bonnie in the tree? -Freddy
  2. And why is he smaller than a plush? -Blue
  3. I SWEAR TO GOD MARI PUT ME BACK TO NORMAL RIGHT NOW
  4. I dunno, I kinda like this. It’s much more quiet. -Chica
  5. I agree! -Chii
  6. Shut the fuck up. -Bonnie
  7. It feels weird to be taller than Bonnie... -Blue
  8. SHUT UP
  9. Rude!



  **11** ) Remember when Bonnie said don’t put mistletoe up everywhere? THAT INCLUDES THE STAGE!!

  1. What happened? -Bonnie
  2. NOTHING. -Vixy
  3. Vixy happened, that’s what. -Blue
  4. Please don’t dismantle me, I’m already in pieces D:
  5. I’m not gonna dismantle you. -Bonnie



  **12** ) DON’T USE ME FIRST MATE AS TINSEL YA PURPLE FUCK!

  1. What? I didn’t do anything. -Bonnie
  2. Oh yeah, like I believe that! -Foxy
  3. But I didn’t. -Bonnie
  4. Fuck you, Bonnie.
  5. No thanks, Foxy bro. Seriously, what the hell are you on about? I didn’t do anything. -Bonnie
  6. He’s telling the truth, Foxy, he was with me and Chica last night. -Freddy
  7. Then who the fuck did it? Mari, was it you trolling us again? -Foxy
  8. I assure you, “Captain,” I had nothing to do with this. -Mari
  9. Gold?
  10. Nope, I was with Spring last night. Don’t believe me, ask Shadow Bonnie. -Gold
  11. Who? -Bonnie
  12. ... Chii?
  13. Don’t look at me, I was with Blue, Red, and BB. -Chii
  14. ... the fuck.
  15. Granted, the “purple fuck” still applies, but the “fuck” part is more applicable to Shabby than me. -Shaf
  16. ... Who the fuck are Shabby and Shaf? -Bonnie
  17. Oh this will be fun. -Gold



  **13** ) Don’t stalk people and trip them up as they’re walking past someone. Misunderstandings and awkward situations arise.

  1. I’m assuming that was one of the shadows. -Gold
  2. Why the fuck didn’t you fucking tell us about the fucking shadows, Gold. -Bonnie
  3. I thought you knew. -Gold
  4. This actually explains a _lot..._ -Red



**14** ) Whoever ordered the halloween decoration intestines and strung them up on the office tree, good job! You gave the night guard a heart attack before we could do anything.

  1. On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... -Bonnie
  2. Oh no
  3. Intestines in a pine tree! -Blue
  4. Stop
  5. On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me... -Bonnie
  6. I swear to god I will kill you
  7. Two beating hearts. -Vixy
  8. And intestines in a pine tree! -Blue
  9. STOP
  10. On the third da-
  11. Well that was short lived, is Bonnie okay? -Chica
  12. Freddy tackled him, I think he’s about to murder him. -Red
  13. Freddy really doesn’t like Christmas carols, huh? -Blue
  14. Trust me, Blue, it wasn’t the “carol” that ticked him off... -Red



**15** ) Can you guys keep it down up here? You nearly knocked over my tree last night.

  1. Ooh, Springy came out~ -Shab
  2. Is your tree okay? -Gold
  3. Why’re you so concerned with a tree? -Freddy
  4. Because it’s Spring’s tree. -Gold
  5. The tree is okay but you guys broke my star :( -Spring
  6. I’ll bring you a new one, don’t worry -Gold
  7. Thanks, Goldie! -Spring



**16** ) Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock, jingle bell-

  1. Wow, Freddy’s “someone’s gonna make a bad Christmas Carol parody” senses went off. That looked like it hurt. -Vixy
  2. It did. -Bonnie



  **17** ) Don’t tape bows to my hat and call me a gift.

  1. Or mine. -Red
  2. Or mine. -Gold
  3. Or mi- wait, you can’t touch me, so fuck you. -Shaf
  4. I have still not actually seen these “shadows” in person... -Blue
  5. Let’s change that, shall we, cutie~? -Shabby
  6. Now you better hope you don’t meet Bonnie in person. -Chica
  7. I’m a shadow, bring it on baby~ He looks tough enough to take me head-on~ -Shabby
  8. What the actual fuck Shab. -Gold
  9. And I call you my brother-sister-sibling-thing... -Spring
  10. Was that a double entendre there? -Blue
  11. Yes, Blue. Yes it was. -Red
  12. Should I feel defensive right now? -Blue
  13. Probably. -Chii
  14. I don’t even know what to say haha this is awkward Blue stop looking at me like that. -Bonnie
  15. Merry Christmas to you all ;) -Shabby



**18** ) Don’t flirt with people you’re not actively seeking a relationship with. Jesus christ on a bike.

  1. This is the most awkward rule on this entire list. -Bonnie
  2. I dunno, I think #9 _might_ have been a little more awkward, y’know... -Chica
  3. No. No, definitely this one. -Blue
  4. Come to the back room and we can have a _real_ Christmas party, my bunnies~ -Shabby
  5. Did they just invite Bonnie and Blue to a weird ghost shadow robot threesome or something, what the fuck
  6. I’M CHOOSING TO INTERPRET IT AT FACE VALUE, THANKS BUT I HAVE PLANS! -Blue
  7. Don’t get so worked up, Bonnie and Blue, Shab’s actually with Shaf. He’s just teasin’ you. -Gold
  8. It’s still awkward as hell and not all that Christmas-y. -Bonnie
  9. You two are so amusing~ -Shabby
  10. Alright, you’ve had your fun, Shab, leave them alone. -Shaf
  11. Awww, okay. -Shabby



**19** ) Who toppled the tree.

  1. NOT ME. -Foxy
  2. I think it was Foxy. -Bonnie
  3. Definitely Foxy. -Chica
  4. Absolutely. -Chii
  5. Looks pretty guilty to me. -Gold
  6. His hook _is_ stuck in the tree... -Blue
  7. WASN’T ME. -Foxy
  8. You’re right, it was ME :D I was playing with his hook and got stuck. -Vixy
  9. Plot fucking twist. -Bonnie



**20** ) Merry Christmas to all!

  1. And happy Hannukah! -Red
  2. And Quanza! -Bonnie
  3. And Lent! -Foxy
  4. ... Lent? The fuck, Foxy? -Bonnie
  5. Shut up, you said Quanza what the hell’s a Quanza. -Foxy
  6. A legitimate winter holiday, that’s what. -Bonnie
  7. I think you mean "Kwanzaa." -Red
  8. I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS YA FUCKS. -Foxy
  9. LOOK IT UP. -Bonnie
  10. STOP FIGHTING, IT’S CHRISTMAS. -Freddy
  11. What’s Christmas without a brawl? -Blue
  12. A correct Christmas? -Chica
  13. The fuck’s a “correct Christmas?” -Gold
  14. You’re all hopeless. -Chii
  15. GUYS YOU KNOCKED MY TREE OVER AND NOW I REALLY WANT TO PULL YOU APART PANEL BY PANEL KNOCK IT OFF.
  16. You guys pissed Spring off again. -Gold
  17. I’m suddenly really scared... -Blue
  18. MY TREE’S ON FIRE THANKS GUYS, THANKS.
  19. HOW THE FUCK IS YOUR TREE ON FIRE?! -Freddy
  20. You’re kidding, right?! -Red
  21. And there goes the fire alarms... -Vixy
  22. MY TREE IS ON FIRE HELP
  23. HOW ABOUT INSTEAD OF WRITING ON A LIST WE _PUT THE FUCKING FIRE OUT?!_ -Red
  24. How about YES BEFORE THE ENTIRE RESTAURANT GOES UP AND WE ALL DIE. -Bonnie
  25. THANK YOU HELP PLEASE FIRE SPREAD AAAA
  26. Children... -Mari



**21** ) Never again.

  1. Agreed. -Chica
  2. Agreed. -Foxy
  3. Agreed. - Blue
  4. I concur. -Red
  5. Agreed and what the fuck Red -Bonnie
  6. Seconded -Mari
  7. MY TREE
  8. OUR BASEMENT -Gold
  9. Yeahhh... this year was kind of a disaster -Chii
  10. Aye... -Vixy
  11. I thought it was exciting~ -Shabby
  12. Quite an experience. -Shaf
  13. NEVER AGAIN. -Freddy



  **22** ) So what’re we doing for New Years?

  1. How about we don’t. -Freddy
  2. Yeah maybe that’s for the best... -Bonnie
  3. Yeah...




	22. Cold Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rodriguez was just an average Norand, nothing special. That’s what Bonnie thought until he woke up in a cell with the rabbit, inhibitor cuffs on his wrists and no idea where he was or what had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another of my ideas that I like and want so badly to work on but yeah, too many other things to do...
> 
> I was gooonna include a synopsis but it was just sooo looong that including it was just really, eh... well, long and it kinda takes away from the story. That being said, the bottom line is; “Half the population has Powers and are more valued, the other half do not have Powers and are more free.” It’s that simple and not at the same time.
> 
> Title: Cold Escape  
> Warnings: Fantasy elements, discrimination, kidnapping whoo!  
> Pairings: In the Excerpt; None. In the AU; Original/Toys, Gold/Spring, Shaf/Shab, Mike/Jeremy

The air around him was strangely cold.

Cold wasn’t a feeling he was used to- he preferred to keep things the _proper_ temperature, nice and warm and cozy, so the chill in the air was completely unwelcome and new.

As was the feeling of freezing metal weighing on his wrists and pressing against his fur...

Finally, the violet-furred rabbit forced his eyes open, staring blankly across the room he was in towards a strangely metallic wall. It was so clean and bright he could see his own reflection... and, he noted dimly, the reflection of his companion.

Slowly, Bonnie pushed himself up off of the cold floor, furrowing his brow as he stared at their reflections on the wall. There was no mistaking that bright blue fur or green T-shirt; it was undoubtedly Rodriguez, he noted, glancing behind himself towards the rabbit lying on the floor.

Rodriguez’s eyes were closed, but Bonnie could tell he was waking up; he had begun to shift, instinctively attempting to slide one hand across the floor to push himself up. The chain hanging between the cuffs pulled tight and jerked the other, and immediately green eyes snapped open.

Bonnie simply watched in confusion as the Norand stared back at him, surprise and alarm flitting through his eyes before confusion settled.

“Henderson?” the rabbit muttered questioningly, his voice thick with sleep.

“Yep,” Bonnie confirmed, letting his eyes slip past the smaller rabbit to the bars beyond. _We’re in a cell,_ he realized. It wasn’t too large and was made of pure stainless steel. Outside the bars was a small room, equally steel and cold, with a staircase leading up into darkness that he couldn’t see through.

Frowning, he mentally reached out to his surroundings and tried to force the temperature to rise. As he did so, however, the cuffs around his wrists began glowing brighter and _burned._

“Ow! Fuck!” he cursed, jerking his hands up from the floor and looking at them, shocked. “What the hell?” Never once had Bonnie felt something like that- that burning pain in his wrists as what he was holding heated up.

“Orienn steel,” Rodriguez muttered, just barely loud enough for Bonnie to hear, and Bonnie looked over towards the rabbit to find him staring at his own cuffs. They were glowing very dimly, hardly noticeable in the light of the cell.

“What?”

Rodriguez looked up at him, a slight frown on his lips. “Henderson, don’t attempt to use your Powers,” he warned, carefully climbing up to his feet.

“Why not?” Bonnie asked, scowling. “Do you know what it is?”

“Orienn steel,” he repeated, reaching up with both hands and slipping one through the thick curly fur on top of his head. “It’s a combination of metals that neutralizes Powers,” the rabbit expanded, pulling a strangely shaped pin out of his fur. Almost immediately, an unruly curl fell down over his forehead.

“Neutralizes Powers?” Bonnie repeated incredulously, shoving himself to his feet. “But I can still feel-”

“‘Neutralizes’ isn’t the right word,” Rodriguez amended, swiftly bending the metal pin and pulling his hands as far apart as they would go. The entire time he didn’t look at Bonnie, not even once. “More like when you try to use your Power it traps it inside the metal and, well,” he flicked his ear towards Bonnie as he pushed the pin into the hole in the cuffs. “That happens. You’re not immune to it, so if I were you I wouldn’t try to use Electricity right now,” he added.

Bonnie heard the click and watched as Rodriguez’s cuffs snapped open and fell to the floor, clattering as the blue rabbit made no attempt to slow its fall.

“Inhibitor cuffs?” Bonnie questioned, looking back down at the glowing blue metal on his wrists. “But wait, why would they give _you_ inhibitor cuffs?” he asked sharply, looking at the other strangely. "You're a Norand."

“My best guess,” Rodriguez snorted, bounding over to Bonnie and grabbing his wrist before the taller could protest, “is when they couldn’t find my ID, they put them on me just in case.” Bonnie didn’t move, watching as the blue rabbit fiddled with the cuff and the pin for a few moments. There was a click and then the cuffs snapped open, falling to the floor.

Almost immediately, the pain in his wrists faded and the chill slipped away.

Rubbing his wrists, he frowned down at the rabbit. “You don’t have your ID on you?” he questioned, raising a brow disapprovingly. Rodriguez glanced up at him and shrugged carelessly.

“I was just running to my friend’s house and back,” he informed Bonnie matter-of-factly, turning on his heel and marching over to the cell bars to look closely at them. “I wasn’t going in any stores or anything like that, I didn’t need my ID card.” He slipped his arm between the bars and twisted around, pressing the pin against something on the other side.

Bonnie could only assume it was the cell’s lock.

Sighing, Bonnie approached the smaller rabbit. “You know you’re supposed to always have your ID,” he reminded Rodriguez.

“It’s nice that the first ever conversation you and I ever have is you lecturing me about leaving my ID at home,” Rodriguez snorted, barely glancing over his shoulder towards Bonnie.

He looked amused. Bonnie wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.

“You could’ve been arrested if you were caught without it,” Bonnie deadpanned, shaking his head.

“And isn’t that just messed up,” Rodriguez hummed, pulling back as the cell door swung open. He turned to look at Bonnie, one brow raised questioningly. “If they can’t instantly identify that I’m a Norand, I get arrested. And likewise, if they can’t instantly identify that _you’re_ a Pazon, _you_ get arrested.” Almost carelessly, Rodriguez bent the pin back into shape and pushed that annoying curl away from his forehead, slipping the pin into its place. “Now, how about we get out of here before we actually get killed or something?”

Bonnie let out a sigh, pushed the cell door open further and headed out. The footsteps behind him told him that his classmate was following.

“It’s just the way things are,” Bonnie answered, taking the steps two at a time. When he reached the shadows, however, he paused; it wasn’t getting any lighter.

“Hold up your hands,” Rodriguez suddenly started, prompting Bonnie to look back at him.

“What?”

“Like this,” he explained, lifting his own hands up in front of himself, his palms facing each other. “Make a lightning ball.”

Bonnie raised a brow. _Ho_ _w do you know I can do that?_

Instead of questioning it, however, he turned back to the shadows and did as Rodriguez instructed, lifting his hands and creating a carefully-contained ball of Electricity between both palms. Instantly, the shadows lit up and Bonnie could see up the final fifteen steps and to the door beyond.

With his lightning ball lamp, Bonnie continued up the steps and Rodriguez followed him. Without warning, though, Rodriguez slipped between Bonnie and the wall, darting around him as they reached the door at the top, and Bonnie had to bite back a curse at the sudden action.

“Be careful,” he hissed, regaining his balance and watching as Rodriguez set a hand on the doorknob.

“Drop the lightning,” was what the rabbit responded with, and Bonnie clenched his teeth in frustration.

 _Why am I listening to a Norand? What’s even_ going on _here- where_ are _we?_ He let the Electricity fade, plunging them into darkness again. _Woke up in a cell with inhibitor cuffs on... what was I doing before though?_

It took only a second to remember. He watched as Rodriguez carefully cracked the door open and peeked out into the hallway, frowning. _I was on my way home from practice when I literally ran into Rodriguez._

He remembered that. He had been watching the clouds, thinking about everything that he had learned at practice that day, when the smaller rabbit ran straight into him and stumbled back. It had surprised Bonnie and he had instinctively stopped.

He remembered finding green eyes blinking up at him, surprised, and the familiar blue fur of one of his many Norand classmates.

He remembered both of them backing away and each going to walk around each other without a single word or apology exchanged.

Norands and Pazons don’t socialize. That was the silent rule- and Bonnie and Rodriguez both adhered to that silent rule as any other Norand and Pazon would. So of course the response to accidentally running into each other was to pretend that it hadn’t happened at all.

It was _after_ that that Bonnie couldn’t remember.

_I was walking past him... and then I was waking up five feet from him in a cell._

_We were kidnapped?_

“Hey, Pazon,” a voice hissed at him, pulling Bonnie out of his thoughts. He looked up towards Rodriguez who was standing right outside the door, looking somewhat annoyed. “If you’re done thinking, let’s go- someone’s bound to come looking for us.”

_We were kidnapped and he isn’t confused at all._

_He was running._

Bonnie scowled and hurried after the shorter rabbit, glancing at him. “You know exactly what’s going on here,” he accused lowly.

“I have no clue,” Rodriguez denied, shrugging and carefully closing the door behind them. “All I know is that panicking isn’t gonna help either of us.” With that said, he took a sharp turn left.

“Where are you going?” Bonnie questioned, going to follow the rabbit. “We have no idea where the exit is.”

“No, we don’t,” Rodriguez confirmed, “but we have to try and find it, and right is way too predictable. Plus, haven’t you ever heard of hugging the left wall?” he added almost airily, glancing around. Bonnie frowned, eyes flickering down the hall.

_It’s really quiet and empty in here._

“No, I haven’t,” he muttered, glancing behind himself. _If we were kidnapped, security is very lax. Then again, with those cuffs they probably didn’t expect us to escape._

 _Wait- how did_ Rodriguez _know how to get out of cuffs?_

He considered that question for just a moment, staring at the back of the rabbit’s head. Nevermind, he quickly decided, _I don’t think I actually wanna know._

Suddenly, a siren blared through the facility, causing both rabbits to pause and look up. Above them a red light flashed rapidly, reflecting off of the walls and bathing the entire hall in red. Immediately footsteps sounded around the hall and a voice screeched in a language Bonnie couldn’t understand.

“Well that didn’t last long,” Rodriguez noted with an irritated sigh, looking towards Bonnie. “Take my advice; _run!”_

Then the rabbit took off, hardly giving Bonnie a chance to register his words.

“Stop!” someone shrieked behind him and something that sounded suspiciously like an energy charge whined. Bonnie immediately darted after his Norand classmate, instinctively pulling up an Electric field between their backs and their attackers.

As he turned the corner with Rodriguez, something slammed into the field and exploded.

_These people are trying to kill us!_

_What the_ fuck?!

Rodriguez shoved a door ahead of them open and Bonnie, without really thinking about it, followed. When he was inside, Bonnie slammed the door shut, and upon noticing there was no lock, he grabbed the handle, mentally reaching out to the metal and concentrating on its temperature.

When he let go, it practically glowed red.

Backing away from the door, he glanced around. They were standing in a medium sized room with what looked oddly enough like sparring dummies lined against a wall; padded mats were spread out over the floor, a marker board was attached to the wall next to the door with large letters spelling out words Bonnie didn’t recognize, and a table shoved into the corner had papers spread out across it and a whistle with its cord hanging down over the edge sitting on top of it all.

The most important thing, however, were the windows set into the wall, dim pale light filtering through the frosted glass. Snow lined the windowsill.

_It’s September._

Rodriguez was studying the windows as well, Bonnie noticed, his brows drawn together as he clearly considered what to do. Bonnie was about to say something when someone slammed into the door, causing the Pazon to jerk away from it in surprise. However, the doorknob hardly moved before a pained squeal sounded from the other side and Bonnie smirked slightly.

_Score one for me, bitches._

“Henderson!” Rodriguez suddenly called, looking over towards him, and Bonnie turned to face the Norand. “Help me break a window!”

Bonnie raised a brow and glanced around. Nothing stood out to him as good for breaking a window and he sure as hell wasn’t about to use his hands- and, he knew, there was no way the Norand would, either.

They definitely didn’t have the medical supplies for _that._

Making a quick decision, Bonnie bounded over to one of the training dummies and picked it up. It was heavy and it was a bit of an effort, but it was the only thing in the immediate vicinity that he could even begin to _imagine_ breaking the window.

Well, aside from the table but that’d be even harder to deal with than the training dummy and the markerboard was a bit attached to the wall. Freddy could pull that off but Bonnie definitely could _not._

Rodriguez took several steps back from the window as Bonnie chucked the dummy at it, and it was a good thing he did; the window immediately shattered as the dummy flew right through, falling both inside and outside the window. The cold slammed into the two rabbits and snow riding on the wind fluttered inside, but neither rabbit could concern themselves with the cold right then.

The banging on the door became harder and Bonnie knew the handle was rapidly cooling in the frosty air as he climbed up on the windowsill and leapt out. His feet sunk into the snow, but the chill didn’t bother him; he simply concentrated on himself, keeping his own body’s temperature steady.

Rodriguez landed beside him and stumbled in the snow, but the rabbit didn’t give himself much time to adjust before he began moving. Bonnie watched the Norand struggle through the snow for a few moments, brow furrowed as he noted _something_ strange about the sight, before he hurried after as fast as the deep snow would allow.

He couldn’t hear anything over the howling of the wind.

When he reached the Norand, he grabbed him by the shoulder- he could practically _see_ the ice forming in the rabbit’s fur already- and ignored the way Rodriguez jumped and looked at him. Apparently Bonnie’s intention was clear to the Norand; he didn’t fuss, simply turning back forward.

The two teens went as fast as they could, soon blissfully finding steadier stone and hurrying along that instead of fighting their way through the snowdrift. If they were lucky, Bonnie knew, the people in that building- _the people who kidnapped us-_ wouldn’t dare follow them. It was freezing cold and, Bonnie mused, anyone who was out in it _obviously_ had a death wish.

Anyone except Bonnie, anyway.

And Rodriguez.

Maybe.

_That depends._

“We’re on Mount Sabia,” Rodriguez suddenly said, voice barely audible over the wind. Bonnie raised a brow at him.

“How do you know?” he practically had to shout so the other rabbit could hear him.

“Because the Twin Peaks are right up there,” Rodriguez answered, pointing upwards. Bonnie followed his hand and found that he was right; towering over them were what was commonly known as the Twin Peaks, two jutting, jagged peaks that had, according to scientists who had studied the mountain, been one before something caused it to divide.

Bonnie and his friends had always assumed it to be Earth Elementals, but they were Pazons. Their opinion in the matters of science were unwanted.

“Okay,” he gave, glancing towards Rodriguez. “That means we’re nearly two hours from Durmont! The hell are we supposed to do now?”

“My family has a cabin up here,” Rodriguez revealed, looking around suddenly. Bonnie wondered, briefly, if he was searching for said cabin. “It’s further down than this, though- the mountain’s full of caves, if we hide out in one until this storm is over and until those people stop looking for us we can go down to the cabin and I can call someone to come get us.”

“This storm could last for days, Rodriguez,” Bonnie pointed out, tightening his grip on the shorter rabbit’s shoulder. “And what if those people find us in a cave, where we’re _trapped?”_

“Not all caves are obvious,” Rodriguez hummed, abruptly walking away from Bonnie. He scrambled to follow the rabbit, _so_ not wanting his classmate’s potential freezing-to-death death to be on his hands. After a minute or so of walking, the blue rabbit paused and knelt down, shoving snow and ice aside. Bonnie watched as frozen water crashed inwards, falling several feet until it hit the ground. “This one’s not obvious.”

“Yet you noticed it,” Bonnie pointed out, frowning. “If they’re looking for caves, they'll notice it.”

“Not if we cover the entrance with ice- solid ice,” Rodriguez added, looking over at Bonnie.

“If you haven’t noticed,” Bonnie started, shaking his head, “I’m an Electric Elemental, not Water. I can’t just _freeze_ water.”

“But you _can_ rapidly heat and cool things,” Rodriguez shot back, slipping into the cave and dropping down. Bonnie scowled.

“That’s easier said than done,” Bonnie protested, but he knew he had no choice but to follow the Norand. He was starting to notice a pattern there.

 _Honestly,_ he thought as he slipped down after the rabbit, landing steadily on his feet, _we’re Pazons, not wonder workers._

“Just give it a try,” the shorter rabbit sighed, leaning against the cave wall and crossing his arms. He subtly moved his arms, as if attempting to keep himself warm.

Bonnie glanced at him, frowning; the Norand was wearing nothing but a T-shirt and blue-jeans with tennis shoes. There was no doubt in his mind that the rabbit was absolutely freezing.

 _If I weren’t here he’d totally freeze to death,_ he mused, sighing and turning back to the uncovered portion of the entrance. It wasn’t a large entrance, to be honest, barely big enough for Bonnie to slide through, but it was still an entrance nonetheless.

 _Fine,_ he thought, _I’ll give it a try._ He was a bit curious to see if he could do it, anyway.

With that decided, he concentrated on the air around and right outside the entrance. Then he mentally yanked on it, feeling the temperature shoot up as he did, and as the Norand had predicted the ice and snow hanging above the entrance turned to water and slush all in one moment. It began to cascade down the stones and Bonnie mentally shoved the air back down, the air dropping to an even colder temperature than the mountain air around, and the water and slush froze instantly before any of it could hit the cave floor.

Immediately the snow began piling up against the ice, and Bonnie realized that all signs of the entrance would be completely erased within minutes.

“Awesome,” Rodriguez called, his voice echoing around the cave, and Bonnie turned to look at the _very smug looking_ Norand.

“For a Norand you know a lot about this Power thing,” Bonnie accused. Rodriguez just shrugged and dropped down onto the cave floor, leaning against the wall.

“I know theory,” he excused, absently rubbing at his arms. “I have Pazon relatives, so I know how this stuff works.”

 _That_ got Bonnie’s attention. He blinked in surprise and frowned. “You have Pazon relatives?” he repeated.

“Yeah,” Rodriguez confirmed, glancing towards him with one slightly cocked brow. “Don’t look so surprised, almost all Norands do. Pazons have Norand children, Norands have Pazon children- it’s really common, actually.”

“Huh,” Bonnie muttered, walking over to the Norand. “Not in my family.”

“Pureblooded Pazon, then?”

“Yep,” he answered with a nod, dropping down next to Rodriguez. "Mom's a Pazon, dad's a Pazon, grandparents are all Pazons, aunts and uncles are Pazons, cousins are Pazons, pretty much everyone within the last forty generations are." He concentrated on the air directly around them, mentally tugging on it to steadily raise it to a more comfortable temperature. As he did he noticed Rodriguez’s hands still.

The Norand was simply staring up at the cave ceiling.

The light faded as the entrance was buried from sight.

“Then you know nothing about Norands,” was all Rodriguez said in response.

“I know enough to know you’re strange for a Norand,” Bonnie retorted without missing a beat. “This is why they avoid you and your friends, isn’t it?”

“You could say we’re a breed all our own,” Rodriguez snorted, though Bonnie could no longer see his expression in the darkness. “We’re perfectly normal Norands,” Rodriguez continued, his voice softer. “We just don’t believe the same things the rest of them do.”

“You’re still strange,” Bonnie muttered, shaking his head and leaning back against the stone. He couldn’t even hear the wind outside anymore; all he could hear was the silence and his unexpected companion’s breathing. “Why were you running?”

“I was late.”

“You’re lying.”

“Henderson.” Bonnie didn’t bother looking at the rabbit. His eyes hadn’t adjusted yet. “I was late to something, so I was running. Just accept it like you’ve accepted everything else in your life.”

_What’s that supposed to mean?_

“It’s hard to accept that when I just woke up in a cell on Mount Sabia five feet from you,” he countered, shaking his head slightly despite knowing that Rodriguez couldn't see him. “And you seem to know all too well what the hell’s going on. You knew that room would have windows.”

“I took a gamble and it paid off.”

“You’re a liar.”

The two rabbits fell into silence, neither saying another word.

The Norand didn't deny it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can probably guess the "big" thing about Blu. It's not meant to be a secret- when I finally officially write out this story in full, the reader will know from the very first chapter exactly what and who everyone is.
> 
> Also my Toy Bonnie totes has curly-ish fur, not sure if you knew that before now.
> 
> If you didn't pick up on it, Bonnie's Powers are Electricity (his Element) and temperature manipulation (a secondary Power). All Pazons, as they're called, have an Element that defines them, many have a secondary Element, and most have a secondary Power. A few have a Tertiary Element or Power, but that's more rare.


	23. Game Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In 1987, days after opening up, the animatronics get bored and decide to create a game to play with the night guard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This particular AU is just something to play around with, really. I believe 100% that the animatronics try to kill the nightgaurd from the very start but I also like to think a fucking Freddy mask wouldn’t fool them- especially Freddy fucking Fazbear himself.
> 
> Title: Game Start  
> Warnings: Sentient Animatronics, cruel games  
> Pairings: None, unless you're desperate to see something and squint like hell

The silence echoing around the pizzeria was almost deafening to Toy Freddy, or Red as the other animatronics had started calling him, as he laid sprawled out on the stage, a book he’d commandeered from the day manager in hand. He simply stared at the page, none of the words registering in his mind, as he listened to the mind-numbing boredom just floating around in the air.

“E4? That’s a  _ really _ bad move, Foxy,” a voice cut through from the other side of the room.

“E4,” Foxy repeated stubbornly, predictably.

“Alright, then,” Freddy Fazbear sighed, and Red could practically hear just how bored the older animatronic was. “Checkmate.”

“What?!” the fox screeched. “This game sucks!”

“Can we _do_ something?” Toy Chica, or Chii as she had been dubbed by the original Foxy, whined. “It’s so boring watching Freddy destroy everyone at chess.”

“I agree!” the voice of Red’s best friend, both in show and out, piped up as he promptly dropped the guitar prop he’d been messing around with all night. Red didn’t even have to look to know exactly _how_ the old Bonnie was looking at the Toy Bonnie known as Blue. “Sorry...”

“He wasn’t  _ destroyin’ _ me, lass, he just cheats!”

“Nay, pretty sure ye just be bad at this, ‘Cap,” another voice, Toy Foxy who was also known as Vixy among the animatronics, snorted. “O’course, looks borin’ as-”

“Don’t say it,” Red called out in warning.

“I was  _ gonna _ say as borin’ as the nights here,” Vixy called over towards the stage. “Ye puttin’ words in me mouth, Boss!”

“Stop callin’ me that,” Red sighed, pushing himself to sit up and look across the darkened room. “If everyone’s bored, why don’t we find somethin’ to do?”

“You’re bored too?” Blue questioned, sounding surprised as he peered over towards the stage. “I thought you had a book to read.”

“I’ve read it three times already,” Red deadpanned, setting the book aside and sliding off of the stage to join his friends. “And frankly, things are too quiet around here.”

They all paused as a gasping shriek rang down the hallway. After a few moments, feet hit the tile and a door somewhere in the building slammed shut. Freddy heaved a sigh and leaned back in his seat.

“Third night guard this week,” he commented, glancing over towards Red. “I think you got his attention this time, Red.”

“Maybe,” Red agreed a bit carelessly. “Don’t see why they keep gettin’ scared by us, not like we’re even scary.”

“Humans cannot see in the dark,” the puppet, who Red finally noticed lying sprawled out on the floor looking at drawings, informed them matter-of-factly. “In the darkness, anything can be frightening. Even moreso when it’s something that isn’t meant to be happening.”

“What do ya mean by that, Marionette?” Blue asked, raising a brow as he slipped back into his seat next to his predecessor. What he was up for Red didn’t know- probably taking the guitar back to the stage, he mused.

“The humans don’t know we be alive,” Foxy explained, boredly setting the chess pieces back up with his one good hand. “The fact we be talkin’ ‘nd walkin’ ‘nd playin’ be strange for ‘em, makes ‘em scared. It actually be quite funny- remember, lads ‘nd lass? How hard ol’ Spring ‘nd Fredbear worked to calm every new guard?”

The older bots and Marion all laughed a bit, though Red couldn’t help but notice an almost sad air around the five of them. Red didn’t recognize their names so he assumed they must have been... gone.

“Poor lad,” Foxy sighed, shaking his head. “Shame he had to pay fer ol’ Fredbear’s misfortune.”

Red shared a confused look with Blue, Vixy, and Chii as their predecessors and Marion shared a moment of silence. They could only assume “Spring” and “Fredbear” were as close to dead as any animatronic could be.

The somber moment of silence didn’t last long, however.

“I have an idea!” a voice giggled up at them, breaking through the melancholy. They looked towards the floor where a child-like animatronic stood, a “balloon” in one hand and a sign in the other.

“What is it, BB?” Red asked, leaning against the table as he watched the child ‘bot.

“Let’s make a game!”

“A game?” Chii repeated, sharing a look with Chica. “What kind of game?”

“We should play “Hunter”!” the child declared, waiting for their reactions.

He received almost none. “Hunter?” Freddy repeated, raising a brow at the child. “Meaning...?”

“We’re the hunters,” BB went on to explain, “and they,” he gestured towards the doorway, “the night guards, are the prey!”

There was a short silence around them as the little 'bot's words sunk in.  


“So basically,” Blue started, his ears twitching uncertainly as he spoke, “the game is... hunt down someone we know the exact location of and who knows the exact location of us, in a room with absolutely no defense and literally nowhere to hide.”

The smaller ‘bot huffed, waving his arms. “No, we make rules to follow! Like maybe you can only use the vents, and Freddy can only use the hall, and maybe Marion has to follow a pattern!”

“That still leaves the problem with the night guard, lad,” Foxy pointed out, shaking his head at BB. “Be havin’ no defenses- not fair at all.”

“Of course,” Vixy started, humming and crossing their arms, “say we were to, I dunno...  _ make _ a defense for 'em. Like... a mask.”

“A mask?” Foxy echoed, looking at Vixy in confusion. Red, however, thought he saw where they were going with that.

“A mask for them to put on when one of us comes in, and then he’s untouchable,” he surmised and Vixy nodded. 

“But then he’d just leave it on,” Blue countered, shaking his head. “He’d be unbeatable, and what fun’s a game you can’t win?”

“If some of us were immune to the mask and had other stipulations,” Chii suggested. “Like, say... Foxy or Freddy can’t be fooled by it, and something else that requires taking the mask off is done instead.”

“And maybe another task to guarantee they can’t just leave it on,” Freddy hummed, leaning his head against his hand. “Interesting.”

“I have a wired music box,” Marion told them, pushing himself up off of the floor. “Perhaps that can serve as a distraction- keep the music box wound up or else I... hm,  _ wake up.” _

“We only have a spare Freddy head,” Foxy suddenly said. “Wouldn’t it be kind’a stupid fer Freddy t’ be tricked by his own mask?”

“I kind’a like the irony,” Freddy excused with a short chuckle, and Red couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Hello Freddy, I’m Freddy and this is Freddy, too,” he jokingly added, gesturing towards Red.

“Oh ha ha,” the smaller bear snarked and his friends simply laughed in response. “Foxy’s a pirate, it’d make sense if disguises didn’t fool him,” he mused aloud, glancing towards the fox in question. “Vixy, too, but then that might be a little overkill.”

“We could claim facial recognition is bugged,” Chii dismissed, shrugging. “And the mask is why they’re safe. Maybe Foxy’s is just broken and the mask won’t fool him.”

“What about me?” BB asked excitedly, looking up towards them.

Humming in thought, Freddy said, “If we say the mask won’t work on Foxy, then maybe flashing a light will “deter” him. In that case, BB, you would still be affected by the mask, but if you get into the office successfully you could stay there and jam the light.”

“Wouldn’t that mean instant defeat for the night guard?” Blue questioned, and Bonnie just shrugged indifferently from next to him.

“Pretty much, but let’s be honest, keepin’ him out of the office shouldn’t be that hard,” Red snorted, ignoring the huffy look BB cast his way. “For the music box thing, maybe there should be a certain amount of time after the music box runs dead before ya come out, Marion.”

“Perhaps,” Marion agreed with a thoughtful nod.

“It should get harder for the guard as the week goes on,” Chii declared with finality. 

“I agree,” Vixy nodded, looking at their predecessors. “What do ye be thinkin’?”

“I think maybe night one should just be you four and Marion,” Freddy mused, glancing at his comrades. “We’d come out to play on the second. It should give the guard a period of adjustment.”

“Sounds good to me,” Blue decided with a shrug, the rest simply nodding. “And what order?”

“Order?” Foxy repeated.

“Yeah, like, who makes the first move, the second, so on.”

“Varies,” Red answered. “Though maybe have a usual pattern.”

“Bonnie, me, and then you up on stage,” Chii said to Red. “And Vixy moves out whenever they feel like it.”

“And in the back room, maybe same order,” Foxy added, waiting for their mute companions’ nods of agreement. Freddy contemplated it for a moment.

“Bonnie, Chica, and then me,” he agreed, “and you last, Foxy. That way ya don’t trip over any of us.”

“Good idea,” Blue snorted. 

“But how’re we gonna relay all this information to the guards?” Red asked, glancing around at all of them with a raised brow. “This doesn’t seem like somethin’ they can just...  _ guess, _ y’know?”

“What about that guy who  _ really _ likes Foxy? What was his name again?” 

“Scott?” Foxy supplied.

“Yeah, him! He likes us all well enough, maybe we could rope him into this,” Blue said, glancing towards his fellow rabbit. “Have him leave messages and get all the props ready.”

“What happens if we win, though?” Vixy suddenly wondered, looking at them. “What motive will the guard have to “hide” from us, and what  _ actually _ happens?”

There was a moment of silence where the ten animatronics considered the fox’s words. Red tapped on his arm, considering everything they  _ could _ do and watched with a frown, listening to the steady _click_ ing of plastic.

_ The suits are full of crossbeams and wires. There’s no way a human body could fit in these things safely, _ he mused silently, glancing up at his friends again. “Perhaps,” he started slowly, unsure of how his suggestion would be received, “we have him fearin’ for his life.”

The others all looked at him, somewhat shocked at his suggestion. “What?” Freddy asked warily. “How?”

“We say,” Red began explaining, “that if the night guard is caught, we’ll put him in a suit.” He tapped his arm again, as if to emphasize his words. “Of course we  _ wouldn’t, _ but that would definitely give him reason to keep us away from him.”

“Depending on how good he is,” Blue hummed, glancing towards the ceiling, “he’ll never have to know it was ever a game.”

“Or maybe he’ll convince himself he was hallucinatin’ the whole time,” Vixy said, shrugging and sighing. “I think it’s as good an “endgame” as any, definitely good reason to keep us away from him.”

“We don’t want to traumatize anyone,” Chii pointed out, looking over at Red disapprovingly. 

“So we give a lad some nightmares, big deal,” Foxy dismissed with a laugh, leaning back in his chair. “I think it be soundin’ like a whale of a time!”

“Besides, it’s not like we’d  _ actually _ stuff a human in an animatronic suit,” Blue scoffed, and Bonnie nodded his agreement again. Red looked over at Chica, who simply watched them all with the most unimpressed expression her damaged shell could muster.

Which, considering the damage, was pretty impressive in itself.

However, the chicken gave her best shrug to indicate that she couldn’t be bothered to care about the potential therapy their next night guard might have to go to.

“Seeing as that would kill a human,” Chii gave in, sighing and shrugging. “Well, to be honest I’m not that invested in a human adult, and I  _ really _ want something to do at nights... so I’m game.”

“Yay!” BB cheered. Red and Freddy shared a look, neither quite sure just how they went from chess to threatening a night guard’s life for the fun of it.

No matter- they could both agree that nights were now sounding a _lot_ more interesting.

“I’ll talk to Scott tomorrow, right before closin’,” Red decided, standing up straight again. “Until then, keep yourselves entertained, kids,” he added towards his more colourful companions, all of which immediately started to protest his words as he turned away and headed back towards the stage.

_ Hunter, eh? _ he thought to himself, sitting down on the stage. He looked over towards his friends, noting with a spark of satisfaction that they all looked somewhat excited about their upcoming game.

There was an energy in the air that chased the quiet away. He smiled.

_ This might be fun, yet. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler Alert: there will be a followup eventually called Game Over ;)
> 
> In case you didn't catch it, neither Bonnie nor Chica are capable of speech, and Toy Foxy/Vixy is un-Mangled at this point.  
> By the way should I warn you now that this AU, despite this, uh... introduction, is actually hella sad and the Toys pretty much go insane? Yeah... there's no happy ending in this AU... except maybe after death... Spoilers. ;)


	24. The Contest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The band had thought the contest was a stupid idea; none of them fancied the idea of reading hundreds upon hundreds of letters just to choose a single simpering letter about how the writer was their biggest fan, and they looked forward even less to actually meeting and spending an entire day with said person and their friends. 
> 
> Then they found Plushie’s letter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually from an idea that I had but never started where the FNaF 1 crew + Golden Freddy and Shadow Freddy are a popular/famous musicians while the FNaF 2 crew + Springtrap and Shadow Bonnie are just average people struggling to get through their everyday lives.
> 
> Title: The Contest  
> Warnings: Depression and hinted abandonment, Spring and Blu are twin brothers in this ‘verse  
> Pairings: None, is pre-Original/Toys, pre-Golden/Spring, pre-ShaFred/ShaBon

“Oh wow, guys, listen to  _ this _ one.”

Bonnie, his ears lying limply on the ground at the base of the couch he was sitting upside-down on, looked up from the letter- so neat and clean and almost clinical it hurt- to give the golden bear on the other side of the pile of envelopes his attention. The other four in the room did the same, waiting to hear what the letter in Goldie’s hand had to say.

“”Dear  _ Freddy,”” _ he started with a snort, immediately receiving an unamused groan from the brown bear next to him, “”I love you and I own every single one of your CDs-””

“We’re the Faz _ band, _ not Freddy Fazbear,” Freddy interrupted somewhat moodily. “Why do people keep writing  _ my _ name?”

“You’re the lead singer,” Goldie answered distractedly. “Anyway, continuing. “I can name every single one of your singles and even buy all of the merchandise. Therefore I deserve to win this contest. I already have the day all planned out for the two of us-””

“Denied,” Freddy deadpanned as Bonnie began laughing right along with all of the others. “I think she fails to realize this is a group, not a single musician.”

“He,” Goldie corrected, dropping the letter into the rejection pile. Very few letters thus far had made it into the “possible” basket, and those were the ones that met the base requirements.

One- they are a band, not an individual, and should be referred to as such.

Two- cannot be plotting to make the hangout into a date of some sort.

And three- Don’t be crazy.

Before they became so well-known, Bonnie hadn’t understood the term “rabid fangirls/fanboys.” Now he knew all too well.

“Well check this one out,” Chica spoke up next. “”Dear Fazband, I’m only writing this because my sister made me so she has more chance to win. Apparently she owns stuffed toys of you guys and to be honest it’s really creepy. I like your music and all but what the fuck? So I hope she doesn’t win so you’ll never know how fucking creepy she is. Anyway, yeah. That’s all I have to say. Signed, Alina.””

Bonnie snorted and shook his head. “Wow,” he chuckled, looking at the letter he’d been attempting to read without falling asleep. “This person pretty much wrote a book,” he noted, dropping the envelope in order to flip through the pages.

Yes.  _ Pages. _

“... They seriously listed out  _ every single song _ we’ve ever written or performed, the dates they were written or performed, and the location of every live performance. And has them all, and been to them all, and apparently managed to get an album signed by Freddy. At least, that’s what I catch from the glimpse.” Jokingly, he asked, “Do they pass?”

“Reject,” all five others stated in unison, thoroughly creeped out. Bonnie laughed and dropped the six-page letter into the rejection pile next to him, and then he reached over and plucked a random envelope from the table.

“Oh god,” he muttered to himself, eying the front of the envelope. It was written in  _ red crayon, _ and Bonnie had to give props to whoever had managed to read it in order to deliver it. “Guys, isn’t there an age limit?”

“Aye, eighteen,” Foxy answered, tossing a letter onto the floor. “Anyone below eighteen's automatically rejected.”

Bonnie let out a breath and almost threw the envelope into the reject pile, but then something made him pause. He wasn’t sure what it was- something about that childish writing? Probably not, but he couldn’t think of anything else it might have been.

So instead of throwing it into the reject pile like his first instinct told him to, he peeled the envelope open and pulled the letter out.

It was handwritten- handwritten letters were, surprisingly, a small percentage- and it had a big, blocky, childish look to it. Once again he almost reached for the rejection pile, but then he read the first line- and he paused.

_ Dear Fazband, I’m writing this for my brothers. They like your music lots but won’t send you a letter. _

Blinking, he quickly scanned over the childish letter, getting the gist of what the child was talking about.

Suddenly, he was a lot less inclined to reject it.

“Hey, guys,” he started, pushing himself up so that he was sitting correctly. “Listen to this letter.”

When the others had given him their attention, he started, “It looks like a kid wrote it but I don’t think he entered his own name.” Briefly, he glanced at the “signature,” which simply said “Dan “Plush” Salvage,” then back to the envelope, which read  _ Robert Salvage. _ He turned back to the top of the letter and began reading aloud, paraphrasing some parts that were just too “complicated” for him, as an adult, to say.

“Dear Fazband, I’m writing this for my brothers," he read out, not glancing up at his friends. He knew they understood he was being serious- it wasn't a funny letter in the least. "They like your music and have for a long time but won’t send you a letter. My brothers are nice people. They take care of me and I want to see them smile again. Shabby is in school but he works lots, too, so I don’t get to see him much, and Spring and Blue are both in high school getting ready for college. They say they’re okay but I’m seven now and I don’t think that’s true. I’m old enough to know these things now. Spring forgets lots of things and Blue spends lots of times alone with Lulu his dog, and Shabby tries to help with chores but is always tired and never wants to talk anymore. I don’t remember much before Shabby started working, but they used to never be this way. Shabby used to sing and play guitar, and so did Spring and Blue. Blue used to dance, too, and used to always play with me. They never do any of that anymore. I don’t know why they are so sad, but I think meeting you guys for even a few minutes would make them happy again, at least for a little while. Shabby is the only one old enough to do this, though. He’s twenty and the others are both seventeen, and I know twenty is more than eighteen so I used his name instead. I hope that’s okay. Signed, Dan “Plush” Salvage.”

Bonnie looked up from the letters, looking at his friends. They were all wearing strange expressions; unlike the other letters, which were horrendously hilarious, this one just made them sad.

“Depression from the eyes of a child,” Shafred hummed softly, leaning back against the wall.

“Why is a seven year old being raised by his twenty-year-old brother?” Chica asked, frowning at the thought.

“AKA, where are their parents,” Goldie supplied, brow furrowing in concern. 

“Possibly passed away,” Freddy sighed, glancing down at the letter in his hand. “From how it sounds, the child’s brothers would never have written on their own behalfs.”

“It’s amazin’ what kids can tell ye in so few words with so little understandin’,” Foxy noted, and they all nodded in agreement.

A few seconds of silence passed as Bonnie just looked at the letter. It was written with the innocence of a child yet it spoke of such dark things- the child wasn’t oblivious, but there was no way a seven-year-old could understand what exactly his brothers were going through.

And he certainly wouldn’t understand the why.

“It’s in the name of the oldest brother,” Freddy mentioned, and Bonnie knew what he really meant. He didn’t put it in the acceptance pile, though.

He sat it down on the couch next to him before moving onto the next letter.


	25. Fazbear Family's Pizza Castle and Fonbear's Circus of Wonders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike wasn't quite sure what their sponsor Mr. Umbre was up to. He didn't understand how a medieval-themed pizza parlor could work with a circus... so he didn't really know why he agreed, either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THIS AU I MADE A YEAR AGO.
> 
> This, guys- this is the AU that got me super into Original/Toy pairings.
> 
> This is the AU where I came up with my name- Mazanica. This is the AU that spurred my Tumblr (yes I dared to tread there, save me) tag "Circus of Wonders" and "Silence is Golden but Music is Sweeter." That line (Silence is Golden but Music is Sweeter) also happens to be foreshadowing some of the characterizations in this specific AU, which I started long before I really ironed out their designs or personalities.
> 
> This AU, guys.
> 
> This AU is where Mazanica truly began.
> 
> This AU is where I fell in love with the Toy animatronics and Springtrap. This AU is where the Bonnie/Blu pairing became one of my ultimate favourites. This is the AU that made me the crazy shipping trashbag I am today.
> 
> This AU has brought me some serious nostalgia, guys, oh my god.
> 
> So I figured I would share the very first chapter with you guys.
> 
>  **NOTE** that this was written nearly a full year ago, so the writing may be somewhat choppy and won't fit into my style or the characterizations/personalities I use for stories now, and some names will be different. I'll list out at the end the names.
> 
> Title: Fazbear Family's Pizza Castle and Fonbear's Circus of Wonders  
> Warnings: Racism, oppression, Original/Toys, female!Mangle  
> Pairings: OVERALL AU: Original/Toys, Golden/Spring, ShaFred/ShaBon, Mike/Jeremy

"Come back soon and have a good day!" the voice called cheerfully as people filed out of the restaurant at the end of the day. All four beings stood with wide smiles as they bid their customers farewell, while other employees began cleaning up and getting ready to leave. Two more beings watched from behind the stage curtains, not wanting to be spotted by the customers.

As soon as the glass doors set in the stone-facade wall closed behind the final customer, all four Animals released a sigh of relief and sat down at the tables. A young man stepped around the curtain, amusement dancing in his bright blue eyes.

"Looks like Fazbear Family's Pizza Castle is doing just as well as it did last year," the man commented, stepping down off the stage to join his furry friends. A golden bear followed with a slight smile on his face.

"Looks like it," the red fox agreed as he pulled his hook prosthetic off of his arm. The brown bear next to him took his top hat off to run a furry hand through the tuft of longer fur on his head.

"Thankfully, yes," he said, voice lilting gentle but deep. "Mike, have you heard from Mr. Umbre recently?"

The human, Mike, shook his head and took a seat across from the group's only female. "Mr. Umbre said he'd call when he had everything arranged," Mike told the bear. "Don't get so nervous, Freddy- Mr. Umbre is a good guy."

"Top two percent of us," the purple rabbit sitting next to Mike suddenly said. "One of, what, maybe fifty Animals to even get above the poverty level?"

"We're above the poverty level, Bonnie," the chicken tutted. "I think you mean wealthy."

"Yeah, you know what I meant, Chica," Bonnie waved his hand dismissively at his friend's words. "Hey, Foxy, some of the kids were telling me about the story you told them today." The fox grinned a bit.

"Recognized it?" he asked, chuckling when Bonnie nodded. "Yes, even Goldie himself liked that one back then." The golden bear in question crossed his arms and raised a brow.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he stated matter-of-factly, his voice softer and lighter than his twin's.

"The one Foxy always told us when we had nightmares at the orphanage," Bonnie informed Goldie. Goldie blinked and smiled slightly.

"Oh, that one. Yes, I guess _that_ one was pretty good." His small smile morphed into a small smirk. "It's rare that happens..."

"Goldie!" Foxy whined pathetically, giving the best puppy-dog eyes he could manage with his yellow eyes. The others laughed as Goldie continued smirking, and Foxy let out some overdramatic whimpers.

"Come on," Mike finally said, standing up. "We should help the others clean up from the party, and then you four need to get showers. You're sweaty. I'll wash your costumes."

"Thanks, Mike," Bonnie and Chica chorused while Freddy nodded and Foxy pouted.

"Of course. I mean we've only been doing this for what, six years?" Mike asked dryly, causing them to laugh again.

The group got up and made their rounds. Freddy and Goldie helped straighten up the chairs, Chica went to help in the kitchen, Foxy went to clean the "cove" and straighten up in there, Bonnie went backstage to put the props they used throughout the day away, and Mike went to help the janitors in the bathroom.

Fazbear Family's Pizza Castle had been brought to life nearly six years before, when Mike was only eighteen. They had actually gotten started thanks to a large anonymous donation, and they had chosen a theme for the restaurant that doubled as their home. The restaurant was designed to look like an old but simple castle; a rectangular building with four towers in the corners. While most of the rectangular building was the dining hall, there was a stage between two of the towers to the right of the entrance and bathrooms between two other towers to the left. One of the towers, the front left tower, was where they had set up the kitchen, and Foxy's storytelling corner "Pirate Cove" was in the front right. The back left tower was made into a game/play room for children between shows the four entertainers put on. The back right tower, however, was off limits for non-Fazbears. The final tower had a spiral staircase going to the second floor where the family lived.

The upstairs, Mike mused, had a rather confusing set up, but none of them minded. They rather liked it that way. There were six bedrooms, the tower above the restaurant kitchen was turned into a more personal kitchen for Chica, there was a dining room, a sitting and entertainment room above "Pirate's Cove," two bathrooms, and a guest bedroom and guest bathroom above the play room below. Each of them had a key to the tower doors that they kept on them at all times, out of sight of the customers.

The theme was, of course, the castle. Medieval type things but child-friendly, so there weren't random medieval torture device props or scary suits of armor sitting around. Of course, they didn't have medieval era food... they were actually a pizza joint... Pizza and cake and ice cream and soda.

The four entertainers also had their characters. Freddy Fazbear himself was the "lord" of the castle, always dressed up in fancy clothing. Chica was the "lady" of the castle, and her costumes consisted of lovely gowns; her gowns weren't nearly as restricting as women's clothing from that era were, of course, they had a modern flair to them. Bonnie played the part of court musician, always having his guitar in hand. And Foxy was a pirate who only sometimes went on stage with the three, spending most of his time in the Cove.

Neither Goldie nor Mike were entertainers, so they wore what the other employees did; the clothes esteemed servants or maids would wear, all with a modern flair to keep the children interested. Instead of the drab blacks and whites and browns of medieval times, everyone was dressed brightly. The children loved it, and the parents certainly didn't mind it either.

Mike was pulled out of his thoughts when someone called his name. He looked over his shoulder to see Bonnie sticking his head in the kitchen, where Mike had migrated to grab a mop. "Yeah, Bonnie?"

"Phone for you!" Mike nodded a bit and leaned the mop against the wall, heading over.

"Thanks, Bon," he said, taking the phone from the rabbit. Bonnie beamed happily and walked off to continue his own chores. Mike stepped out of the kitchen so as not to be in the way. "Hello?"

"Mr. Fazbear!" the jovial voice from the other side called, and Mike couldn't help but smile. Only one person in the world called him Mr. Fazbear instead of Mr. Schmidt.

"Mr. Umbre, hey!" he greeted.

"I've been hearing nothing but great things from Fazbear's Pizza Castle," the bear on the other end said. "Of course, that's how it is every year. Now, Mr. Fazbear, do you know what today is?"

Mike thought for a moment before saying, "Uh, June seventh, sir?"

"Yes! June seventh. Do you remember what I told you last time I called you?"

"Yeah, that you were arranging a surprise with the other business you support," Mike said with a nod, despite the fact the bear couldn't see it.

"Yes. Now I know it's strange, Mr. Fazbear, but I think it'll be an interesting experiment, don't you? To have a restaurant based in medieval times work for a month with, wait for it... a circus!"

Mike blinked, a bit surprised. "A circus, sir? Were those even around in the medieval era?"

"Of course, Mr. Fazbear," Mr. Umbre chuckled. "Maybe not in the way they exist today, but then again you're a themed children's restaurant, historical accuracy was never big on you Fazbears' list. Besides, I don't mean you working together as in they join your show. No, no, that would confuse people. I've arranged for them to set up their camp in the empty lot across from the restaurant."

"This may sound like a dumb question, Mr. Umbre, but where does the "working together with" come into play in that scenario?"

"That will be up to you all to decide, Mr. Fazbear. I'm not the boss, you know- Freddy and Fredric are," the bear told him. "I just talked with Mr. Fonbear and he agreed it sounded like fun. It’s up to you on how, or even if, you implement it. If you don’t, well, there‘s a circus across the street from you for a month. What fun!”

Mike wondered how his family would react to this news. None of them had ever been to a circus before... “Well I’ll let the others know, thank you Mr. Umbre. Oh, um, quick question- this circus, how many are human and how many are not?”

“Good question, Mr. Fazbear,” Mr. Umbre said. “technically the circus’ owner is a human named Jeremy, but it’s really owned by a family of Animals much like your own family. Let’s see, performer-wise there’s a bear, two rabbits, a chicken, a fox, and three humans. They have other people doing miscellaneous behind-the-scenes tasks, but those eight are the stars of the show.”

“Eight performers in a circus? That seems a little small, doesn’t it?”

“Ah but their talent, skills, determination, and passion well make up for it!” Mr. Umbre told him with a laugh. “Besides, all of them have multiple areas of expertise instead of one like most circus performers. Ah, Mr. Fazbear, I have another call to make. The circus should be arriving in about three or four days, they’re across the country at this moment. Have a good day, Mr. Fazbear, and give the others my well wishes!”

“Bye...” Mike trailed off as the bear hung up, probably to make another call. All of them liked the wealthy Animal well enough. He helped keep them on their feet the first year until the got popular, and he kept helping out afterwards. However, Mike was unsure about this plan.

A restaurant and a circus working together? Mike had no idea how that was supposed to work. He ran a hand through his frizzed black hair. “Looks like it’s time for a family meeting...”

* * *

Meanwhile, across the country where the evening was still young and the sun had yet to set, a large tent was packed with people. Near the side of the ring, a light brown bear stood beside a very tall rabbit, watching as a vixen and a chicken did their trapeze act, amazing the audience below.

Fredric Fonbear was still very uneasy about the girls’ decision to forego a net, so he and his “brother” were keeping an eye out so they could try and at least break the fall if either of them slipped from their bar. Of course they knew the girls wouldn’t- they were amazing at what they did, after all.

The rabbit next to him leaned over and said quietly, "You look like something's bothering you, Fredric." Fredric glanced up at his friend.

"I'm always bothered when they don't use a net, Spring."

"Hey, I don't use a net when I'm up there," Spring pointed out. "Neither does Bonsey on the tight-rope."

"Yes, and I'm always bothered by that too. What if one of you fall?" Fredric fretted, turning his gaze back to his sisters as they finished their routine. The applause that exploded around them caused the vixen to flinch slightly.

"Just another scar to add to the collection, a broken bone to add to the list," Spring told him with a grin. "I think it's your cue to close out the show."

"Yes, yes, I know," Fredric nodded, lightly punching Spring's arm and heading towards the center, activating the microphone in his ear.

Spring tuned out of Fredric's parting words to look behind him towards the connected tent where the performers would wait their turns. A red-haired human fussed with a blue-furred rabbit while wrapping his arm, and a tall man in a mask stood holding the supplies. A young boy and girl child ran around playing with their props.

The vixen and the chicken soon arrived as the crowd started exiting the stand towards the exit.

The white and pink vixen frowned upon seeing the rabbi's arm being bandaged. "Oh Jeremy, what did Bonsey do this time?" she sighed.

"Yeah, how did you get hurt, Bonsey?" the chicken agreed.

The smaller rabbit, Bonsey, huffed a bit. "If you _must_ know," he started with a pout, "Spring's tiger's claw caught my arm."

"You shouldn't have been so close to the damn thing," Jeremy muttered darkly as he finished bandaging him. "You know not to approach the animals when Spring's not in here."

"Yeah, yeah," Bonsey grumbled before brightening and jumping up. "Chaya, Angel, you guys were amazing! I mean, I didn't catch the end of your performance, but I just know you did awesome."

Angel, the vixen, rolled her eyes as her sister smiled. "You were pretty awesome too, though I think Fredric nearly had a heart attack when you started dancing without the net below."

"Hey, Fredric knew that was part of today's routine," Bonsey stated with a shrug. "Chaya, your sleeve is a bit torn..." The chicken glanced down at her puffy pink sleeves.

"Well, it's nothing you can't fix, yeah?"

"Of course, easy fix, but still!"

Spring shook his head and looked towards Fredric as he returned. The tent was empty except for the few circus employees. The tall rabbit couldn't help but smile. The day was a complete success and everyone was still mostly unharmed. They were all smiling and laughing and playing.

Fredric Fonbear walked into the back tent, and Spring soon followed after. "We can take the costumes off now?" the masked man asked, his voice soft and boyish.

"Yes," Fredric confirmed, taking his velvet blue tophat off in exchange for an older black one. "Change into your normal clothes and wash the makeup off, that was our last performance for this location and we have a long trip ahead of us."

The group cheered as they thought about the trip and they quickly headed over to the changing areas. Their bright, breezy clothing was fun and comfortable, but sometimes they earned the group stares in ways they didn't want.

Spring, having worked with animals instead of the trapeze routines that day, only had enough makeup on the hide his scars from the audience, so after changing out of his red and gold costume he made quick work of the makeup. His family, bar Jeremy and the masked man, all had a thick layer of makeup on that they had to remove.

They were happy with their life. Well, as happy as one could be when their life was under constant threat as the Animals of the world's were. Because his family was happy, Spring was happy.

Unlike his family, Spring was _not_ happy about the trip. He didn't want to meet more people- he had everything and everyone he needed right there with him. But the others were excited, so he went along with it.

When Fredric returned, he was dressed in a simple black suit instead of his bright blue suit. The rabbit watched as they were joined one-by-one by the others.

The second tallest of the group was a black haired young man who still looked boyish for his lanky appearance. His eyes were silver-grey, his hair long and curly and black, and his skin very tan. His name was Nettle.

Jeremy, who technically owned the circus, was the third tallest. He had stunningly green eyes, short curly red hair, and freckled, pale skin. More often than not he was frowning about something, but he was well-loved and he loved them and cared for them all just as much.

They, along with the "balloon twins" as everyone liked to call them, were the only humans Spring truly trusted.

They were Fonbears through and through, and none of them ever believed otherwise.

Once the group was assembled, they began packing away their belongings and taking the tents down. It wasn't easy work at all, but they had their ways of making it fun.

It was their life, and they were doing what they loved. Not everyone could say that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A year ago I hadn't yet settled into their names/nicknames, so here's who is who (if you couldn't catch it in-story)
> 
> Mr. Umbre is Shafred's surname  
> Fonbear is the name instead of Fischbach  
> Fredric = Alfred  
> Bonsey = Blu  
> Chaya = Chii  
> Angel = Mangle  
> Nette = Marion
> 
> At one point I'd actually had everything mapped out- the Pizza Castle and the Fonbears' RV thing- but I lost it all when my computer died. I was just lucky I happened to have this first chapter and the AU info in google docs! If I ever actually continue this AU, which I might because it's really near and dear to me, I'd obviously rewrite it and revert to the usual names and personalities (with the exception of individual last names- there's a reason each side is either Fazbear or Fonbear, after all, and I would stick with Fonbear instead of Fischbach as it sounds better for a circus performer).
> 
> Also, this AU deals a lot with oppression of Animals and how there are no laws protecting them. So why the fuck did I make Shafred Umbre someone powerful, influential, and rich? Eh, you'd just have to find out if I continued it. (I promise you I thought everything through!)


	26. Game Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just a game, but then the night guard changed the rules and Blue doesn’t want to play anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: Game Over  
> Warnings: Mentions child murder, the animatronics kill for the first time whoo! Also, marks the start of the Toys’ descent into insanity. And Blue kinda-sorta tortures the night guard? Uh, yeah...  
> Pairings: None, not even when squinting

The bathroom wasn’t well lit but Blue could easily make out his reflection. It almost frightened him- his eyes were wide, the green sharper than he’d ever seen them before, his pupils strangely... small. They’d never been that way before.

He leaned heavily against the wall, listening to the hushed argument between Red and Freddy outside. The camera was disabled, Blue knew- he was the one who’d disabled it when he noticed it was on.

If ripping it off the wall and breaking it into a hundred pieces counted as disabling, anyway.

Red’s voice was almost hysterical, he noticed, as he argued with the original. Sad static echoed throughout the restaurant and Marion’s music box continued to play, reinforcing the fact that the night guard was there.

It was driving Blue crazy.

_They weren’t supposed to be able to see the safe room, but they hadn’t been able to help but notice when the door slid open just an hour after the last employee left. They had been horror-struck as they saw the red-covered man... and the scene he was leaving behind._

_The blood painted the floor, and the man held the knife tightly in his hand. He was laughing, amused as the life slipped away from the children at his feet. Blue couldn’t move- he felt paralyzed, shocked, and completely and utterly... destroyed._

_The night guard simply closed the door behind him, making sure it latched into place. Blue wanted to scream, wanted to jump down and rush the man- wanted to grab that knife and do to him what he had done to those precious children._

_He was locked in place._

_Chii had tried to fight, he remembered. She had tried to fight the programming keeping them on stage. The sight of the children- their precious children, who they should have been protecting- lying in puddles of their own blood... it made him feel as sick as an animatronic could. It made him angry, it hurt in a way that he didn’t know how to explain._

_He felt like his chest was on fire, like something deep inside of him was tearing apart._

_The minute it chimed midnight, Red had started for the office- but the older ‘bots had stopped him. Had stopped them. They hadn’t seen what Red and his friends had seen, though, they couldn’t understand._

Red’s words weren’t making sense. Now the older Freddy was just trying to calm the angry, hysterical animatronic down, but Blue couldn’t stand it anymore.

_Stop saying everything is okay when nothing is okay! Stop! You can’t! You don’t get it!_

“You didn’t see!” he suddenly shrieked, grabbing the mirror and yanking it off of the wall. He didn’t want to see that _stupid expression_ anymore. “Shut up shut up _shut up!”_ He turned around and slammed the mirror into the opposite wall, taking a sick satisfaction from the sound of it shattering into thousands of tiny shards, hitting the wall and skittering across the floor and his own plastic shell. The frame broke in his hands and it all crashed to the floor.

Immediately footsteps moved towards the bathroom.

“Lad, calm down!” Foxy tried, reaching to grab Blue’s arm. The bunny easily dodged, grabbing another mirror. “Ye’ll hurt yeself like this!”

Before he could pull the mirror off of the wall, a hand grabbed him around the waist and hoisted him up. Immediately he began struggling.

“Let go!” he demanded, glaring back towards his predecessor. “Let me go let me go _let me go!”_

Bonnie didn’t say anything- couldn’t say anything- and just shook his head. Foxy approached, his hands lifted in a placating gesture.

“Lad,” he started cautiously, the mirror shards crunching under his metallic feet, “think rationally for a moment.”

“Think rationally?!” he laughed mirthlessly, still trying to pry Bonnie’s arm from around his waist. “That’s all easy and good for _you lot_ to say- you didn’t see what that night guard did! _You didn’t see!”_

If he could, Blue figured he’d be crying. Crying like the children whose parents just left them behind, crying like those children had before being approached by someone they thought they could trust.

However, it was impossible for the animatronic to cry, so he had to settle for the next best thing.

Foxy reached out for him again but Blue knocked his hand away, clenching his teeth. “Look in the room everyone ignores,” he challenged, voice low as he glared at the fox. “The one we always pretend we can’t see- the one not on our maps. Do it! Do it and keep telling me to calm down!”

“Let’s get ye outt’a the bathroom first, lad,” Foxy suggested, glancing warily at the shattered mirror. “The day folks’ll have a hard enough time with this...”

As if taking some cue Blue didn’t catch, Bonnie began walking back towards the bathroom door. Neither Freddy nor Red were saying anything, he realized- clearly his outburst had attracted more than the fox and other rabbit’s attention.

Once outside the bathroom, Bonnie set him back down on his feet. Red was watching him, blue eyes blank, and Freddy looked at the two other original ‘bots as if seeking some kind of answer.

“The door you pretend isn’t there,” Blue repeated numbly, just watching Red. Back in the stage room, he could hear Chii and Mangle. He could only assume Chica and BB were with them.

The older ‘bots seemed to hesitate before heading back towards the show area and, by extension, the secret room. Neither Blue nor Red went to follow, simply watching each other silently.

After a few seconds, though, Blue turned on his heel and began walking down the hall.

“What are you doing?” Red asked him quietly. He sounded so... sad, so- so _broken._

Blue felt anger flare up in his stomach, twisting and churning around the wires and metal. Red had never sounded so... _defeated_ before.

_He’s meant to be laughing, smiling, having a good time... not this._

_Never this._

“The game is over,” Blue answered simply, giving him a short glance before turning around the corner. Red didn’t try to stop him.

Blue’s eyes zeroed in on the night guard. He was flipping through the cameras, a frown clear on his face even from that distance. There was no way he didn’t hear the animatronics’ screaming matches- he _had_ to know they were intelligent.

He _had_ to know they were alive.

And they... saw... _everything..._

Something inside Blue twisted and seemed to snap. In that moment he knew only one thing- _hatred._

He wanted to see this human struggling for his life. He _wanted_ to hear this man screaming and begging and pleading for his life. He _wanted_ to watch the light fade from this _monster’s_ eyes, to watch him the same way he watched those children.

For the first time in his short life, Blue wanted to kill.

The man’s eyes snapped up to the hallway and he hit the light. He let out a shriek.

“You’re not supposed to be there!” the human cried, scrambling for the mask. Blue didn’t stop his approach- didn’t even slow down, even as the man pulled the mask over his head. “Go away!”

Blue stopped in front of the desk and glared down at the man. He was trembling, but _that isn’t good enough._

He and the human seemed to have a stare-down. Blue could hear a commotion- sudden angry voices- from the main room.

The music went silent. On the tablet sitting on the desk, a red triangle flashed.

“Go away,” the man repeated, voice small. “I have the mask on, go away!”

Something broke.

Something shattered.

Blue laughed. And he laughed. And just laughed.

It was _so funny_ because it was _so stupid,_ and it was _so stupid_ because it was just so, so wrong. Blue felt hysterical- more hysterical than he had when he shattered the mirror. Everything hurt and he felt strangely light-headed but he _couldn’t stop laughing._

“Do you really think we’re fooled by a _mask?”_ Blue managed to get out through his manic laughter. “Imagine that!” he laughed even harder, leaning heavily on the desk and staring straight into the grey eyes of his prey. “The Freddy Fazbear Mascots... fooled by a Freddy mask. It was great irony, wasn’t it? We thought it was funny!”

His hands clenched into fists, watching the man attempt to back away. His laugh was shallow- he felt winded, but he didn’t need to breathe so he had no idea _why._

His laughing sounded more like crying.

“It was just a game!” he told the human, pushing away from the desk and starting to walk around it. He could hear his own voice echoing down the hallway, but no one was rushing to stop him. Not this time. “We were just playing a game! But then you- oh, _you_ had to go and change the rules, didn’t you?” The laughing finally faded and Blue was glad- it had hurt.

The man tried to run but Blue grabbed him and, with one swift move, yanked the mask off of his head. The mask slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor as the man screamed, the rough edge scraping away a good chunk of skin on his neck and face. Blue didn’t try to keep the human from collapsing to the floor, holding his face in pain.

“Well then,” Blue started, his natural grin feeling almost maniacal as he stared down at the man, “two can play _your_ game, bud. Or maybe more like three?”

He glanced over his shoulder, into the hallway where Red simply stood, watching the scene emotionlessly. “Or maybe eleven. It sounds like my friends are angry,” he laughed, looking down at the man. As he did, he noticed the man had begun crawling away. The animatronic wouldn’t let _that_ happen, of course; he slammed one foot down on the man’s hand, listening as the human screamed and the bones in his hand fractured. “Don’t go,” Blue mocked, that hysterical laughter bubbling up in his chest again. “We just wanna play!”

“Leave me alone!” the man cried, trying to yank his hand away. “Let me go!”

“Is that what those children said?” Blue asked, tilting his head innocently at the human. “Did they beg you to let them go? Plead for you to let them go home, for you to _stop_ _hurting_ them?!” He laughed again- _why am I laughing please this hurts just stop-_ and shook his head at the horror-filled face of the man at his feet. “Did you listen?”

The man said nothing, but the answer seemed to echo around them anyway; _no._ It was written in the blood covering the safe room floor, in the vacant expressions of the children in his memory, in the silence of a usually-lively pizzeria. It reflected in the way Red, such a stickler for rules, just watched him, in the way that neither Freddy nor Bonnie came to stop him, in the increasing static as Mangle- poor, sweet Mangle whose mind had been torn to shreds- began a rapid approach, a snarl clear in the air.

“Yeah,” Blue mumbled, watching the human sadly. He could hear footsteps echoing throughout the pizzeria, some heavier than others but all growing louder and closer. “I didn’t think so.”

“Now you’re gonna pay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm, I wonder who said that last line. If you pay close enough attention, you see that it wasn’t Blue ;)


	27. The Pain of a Guilty Conscious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guilt manifests itself in different ways. The Toy Fazgang know this all too well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just something I thought of lately. I can’t help but imagine sentient!animatronic ‘verse Toys feeling guilty over replacing the originals (and resenting the fact that they’re replacements at all) but I have never pictured their guilt showing in the same way.
> 
> Title: The Pain of a Guilty Conscious  
> Warnings: Guilt, self-loathing, Mangle’s gender is unspecified, sentient animatronics  
> Pairings: None

**Toy Foxy**

They tried to ignore it.

It wriggled around in their gut, snaking up and down the animatronic’s circuits and servos like a venomous snake prepared to burst out, but they did their best to ignore it.

The days passed by with them focusing on the children ripping them to pieces, but no matter how their mechanical nerves screamed in agony a part of them couldn’t help but whisper, _This is what you deserve._

Torn apart. Left dismantled, a bunch of mangled bits and pieces strewn out across the floor. Like _them._ A part of the fox felt immensely satisfied, and the fox could not help but pick up the name _Mangle_ with their broken pride.

It was justice, they felt. They would not let their friends put them back together; _This is justice. This is what I deserve._ Plus, with no gut at all, the feeling squirming inside them finally faded away, and that was such a glorious feeling.

Then night came, and when the night came their predecessor came out to play. Play with his friends, play with the nightguard, play in the kitchen- it didn’t matter. They all had free reign over the pizzeria.

The fox animatronic did their best to stay in Kid’s Cove, focusing on the balloon child. Rarely did they allow themselves to slink out of their cove and go to the stage where their friends were.

They never went into the hall.

Every time they caught sight of the broken red fox stalking down that hallway, a shock went up their spine, fizzling at the neck and making them shiver.

The snake was not gone. It had just dug deeper and bit even harder.

No amount of damage made it go away.

 

**Toy Chica**

She was friendly.

She tried to make everyone feel important, even their damaged predecessors, but it was hard when every time she smiled they would turn away.

The chicken never approached them. She wasn’t sure how she could possibly approach them- what could she possibly say? _I’m sorry we took your names and your stage, but you still mean something to me?_ She didn’t even know them. What right did she have?

But she was friendly. With everyone. She left their predecessors to their own devices, allowing them free roam over the pizzeria, and she never tried to force them into conversation.

When she went to the kitchen, she would always pause and listen. Every _bang!_ of a pot or pan sent a spike of electricity through her wires. She couldn’t go in. She just couldn’t, so she’d back away.

When her beak broke, some part of her was immensely satisfied. She hid it from the humans- she didn’t want it to be fixed. The others tried to convince her to fix it, but she didn’t want to.

_We’re fragile,_ she realized as she stared at that beak in her hands, her gentle smile now turned into a gaping grin. _We’re fragile and easily broken._

One good hard fall off the stage, she knew, and their plastic shells would shatter.

The image was not all that bothersome to her.

_They were made to last and we were made to break._

She placed her beak back on its hooks and turned to return to the stage where her fellow bandmates were waiting. The echo of every _bang!_ and clatter from the kitchen, and the sound of heavy footsteps clanging through the halls felt like a hammer to her skeleton.

_We really are nothing more than toys._

 

**Toy Bonnie**

He was obsessive.

The bunny animatronic couldn’t get over it. He hid out in the bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror for hours on end. He couldn’t help it- just _thinking_ of his predecessor sent electricity racing through his wires. It coiled in his gut and stuck in his throat, and the longer he stared at the mask on his face- the more he stared at those vibrant green eyes- the sicker he felt.

It came to the point where he refused to even glance in the direction of the hallway for fear of spotting the purple animatronic. He couldn’t bear to touch his guitar- _not mine,_ his _guitar-_ longer than necessary.

The moment the clock struck twelve, he carefully set it down and scurried away.

Oh sure, he talked to his friends, and he laughed and played with them... but he always found himself in that bathroom, staring into that mirror with his unfitting grin.

Purple, once such a nice colour, now only reminded him of that faceless rabbit in the back room. That guitar reminded him of the animatronic whose place he took. His friends reminded him of the name he stole. His own _face_ reminded him of his predecessor.

He didn’t break like his friends did, but he wanted to. _God,_ did he want to just break down and deactivate and never _think_ again. He wanted more than anything to be able to look around and not see a damaged purple animatronic, to _not_ see red glowing dots, to _not_ see the lives they had taken over...

_We’re just copies,_ he thought, fingers brushing across his reflection, _who stole their names. Stole their parts. We’re nothing but... imitations._

His fingers pressed into the glass and it began cracking. He watched the crack spiderweb across the surface, warping his perpetual smile into something much less innocent. Much less happy.

_I look broken._

 

**Toy Freddy**

He kept to himself.

It wasn’t that hard, to be honest; when his friends disappeared to do their own things, it allowed him time to sit down backstage and just think.

He wasn’t the true leader of the Fazband, he knew. Hell, he wasn’t even really part of the Fazband. Just some plastic knockoff. But they were his friends.

He didn’t know why he hated them for it.

Of course he never wanted them to get broken or damaged as they did. He loved them. But he hated them- just as he hated himself.

He didn’t join them on the few adventures they took, and when they were all together he kept his thoughts to himself. More often than not he found his gaze trailing towards the hallway and the door beyond, allowing that _feeling_ to flare up in his chest.

Deep sadness sunk heavily on his soul and it never went away. Every time he saw that door or one of _them,_ it only sunk in deeper.

When the rosy-cheeked bear actually saw _him,_ the true leader of the Fazband- the one whose name and place he’d taken- it hurt. It burned and it was _agony._ He had never felt so much hatred for anyone as he did in that moment- and it was himself he hated.

But he could never bring himself to share his feelings with his friends, two of whom had broken and one who was struggling to keep himself together on the inside. He couldn’t burden his friends- his comrades- his accomplices- with the feeling.

He was their leader. He was supposed to be the strong one, supporting them and taking care of them and loving them as they were.

Even so, that didn’t stop him from looking at them and thinking, _We should never have existed at all._ He couldn’t help but hate them for everything they were... and everything they weren’t.

He hated himself the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't decided what this specific AU is- does it factor in with a different AU I've already written about? Do the Toys die before the Withered animatronics ever get to truly know them? Or do the two groups finally get past their issues with each other (and themselves) and begin to heal? ... Before dying? I dunno, I'll let y'all decide how it "ends" ;)


	28. Welcome to Freddy's! (The Rules Change) [Lyrics]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Freddy’s, a place of delight!  
> Where dreams can come true and fun comes alive!  
> Here at Freddy’s there’s no reason to frown,  
> Everywhere you turn there’s fun abound!  
> Welcome to Freddy’s, a place of pure fright!  
> Where dreams just die and nightmares are alive!  
> Here at Freddy’s nobody is your clown,  
> Everywhere you turn there is death abound!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, did I ever mention that I do lyrics? I used to write music but yeah... it's not very good but here's one of the two FNaF songs I've written (I've also done an UT one but let's not go there). Let me emphasize it is not good XD I can hear the tune in my head but I need to tweak it.

**Welcome to Freddy’s**

[Echoing Speech]

 _TB: Is that all we really are?_ Replacements?

_TF: Bonnie..._

_TB: Were we only created to take someone else’s name? To... to have no identity of our own? If I’m not Bonnie and you’re not Freddy, then just... who_ are _we?_

 

[Music Starts]

 

_[The Toys]_

Welcome to Freddy’s, a place of delight!

Where dreams can come true and fun comes alive!

Come join Foxy in the Kid’s Cove,

Or come join us and watch the show!

Play in the arcade or get a balloon,

Get some prizes and explore the room!

 

Here at Freddy’s there’s no reason to frown,

Everywhere you turn there’s fun abound!

All are welcome, so please shed no tear-

Freddy’s is a place with nothing to fear!

Safe and secure, just listen to this rule,

Be nice to each other- kindness is cool!

 

_[Toy Freddy]_

Here in the day the children all play, but

When the night comes the rules all change...

No humans allowed and they all must pay-

We’ll give you a welcome the Old Freddy’s way.

 

_[Toy Bonnie]_

Why should we trust the humans who said,

“You’re Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy!” Feh-

They lied, they killed, they’ve made their bed,

And now it’s all over- hands will be covered in red...

 

_[Toy Chica]_

We have nothing to regret, no reason to cry-

Nothing to miss about these people who lie!

If you come and join us tonight,

May our hatred be your very last sight...

 

_[Toy Foxy]_

Arr, matey- here be our home! Ye dare come alone?

Ye’ll find that durin’ the nights, ye’re not on your own!

No, here we are and here we will be, ye’ll reap what ye’ve sown!

Breakin’ the rules ‘n tellin’ us lies- we won’t be yer pawns!

 

_[Toy Freddy]_

They ripped them apart and gave us their name,

_[Toy Bonnie]_

But we are not them, it’s just not the same.

_[Toy Chica]_

They even call us “toy,” like it’s all just a game!

_[Toy Foxy]_

What are we then? Just some copy of fame?

_[Toy Freddy]_

But they will find...

_[All]_

Some things never change...

 

Welcome to Freddy’s, a place of pure fright!

_[Toy Chica]_

Where dreams just die and nightmares are alive!

_[All]_

Come hang out in the Kid’s Cove,

Or come with us and _join_ the show!

Lose at the arcade or come and meet your doom,

_[Toy Foxy]_

No matter yer choice, there’s always more room!

 

_[All]_

Here at Freddy’s nobody is your clown,

Everywhere you turn there is death abound!

All are welcome, we welcome your fear-

_[Toy Freddy]_

Freddy’s will be closed within the year!

_[All]_

No security, and there is no rule-

_[Toy Bonnie]_

To come here, you’re nothin’ but a fool.

 

[Music interlude]

 

_[Toy Freddy]_

The music plays all night, keeping at bay

The monster out of sight, you’ll be okay-

Or so they say...

 

_[Toy Bonnie]_

They lie... they cheat... they steal and take;

This world they’ve made will always be fake-

But for _their_ sake...

 

_[Toy Chica]_

This is not the end, the story’s just begun,

But for you- you’ll never again see the sun-

If you’re smart... run.

 

_[Toy Foxy]_

It’s over now- prepare fer yer last breath,

And if ye stay calm, we’ll make it a quick death-

As for the rest...

 

_[All]_

Beware... beware... beware the monsters in the shadows, lurking,

Beware the ones hidden from your sight;

Beware the children laughing, the creatures skulking,

Beware for your last night.

 

_[Toy Foxy]_

The music is fading, the hour is turning

_[Toy Chica]_

But we’ll stay within your mind…

_[Toy Bonnie]_

Your heart is racing, your stomach is churning,

_[Toy Freddy]_

But no peace will you find...

 

_[All]_

This is your final night!

_[Toy Freddy]_

And so Freddy’s says goodbye...

 

[Speaking]

_TB: I don’t want to just be a copy..._

_TF: You’re not a copy. You’re you._

_TB: But my identity isn’t even mine- it’s not me. He’s not me. How can I not be a copy?_

_TF: Because we’re not them._

 

[Singing again]

 

_[All]_

Welcome to Freddy’s...

We hope you’re ready...

Say your goodnights...

The morning light...

 

Won’t save you anymore.

 

_[Toy Freddy]_

Your nightmares are real

_[Toy Bonnie]_

And all of us feel...

_[Toy Chica]_

It’s time for you to dream forever...

_[Toy Foxy]_

Ye’ll be gone but leave us never...

 

_[All]_

We’ll give you a warm welcome.

We’ll give you a warmer goodbye.

We’ll paint the floors with your sin,

We’ll make all their wrongs be right.

 

_[Toy Freddy]_

And if you think we’re lying, if you think we’re wrong

Then you’ll pay the price they’ve made for you-

The fate you’ve been heading towards all along.

There’s nothing you can do...

 

_[Toy Bonnie]_

They’re coming... they’re coming to claim their prize...

And if you think we’ll stop them then you should know,

Despite our differences, we’re on their side...

There’s nowhere you can go...

 

_[Toy Chica]_

All games set aside, your life is what we seek;

Five nights is time enough for you to lose.

Your fate was sealed in just one week,

There’s nothing else you can choose...

 

_[Toy Foxy]_

And if ye think that this ain’t fair, that ye should have another chance-

With all the blood that ye spilled, the lies that ye have told...

We seen ‘em all, ‘nd the blood soakin’ on yer hands...

Your soul’s already been sold...

 

_[All]_

Welcome to Freddy’s, we hope you enjoy your stay.

Welcome to Freddy’s, now you’ll never go away.

Welcome to Freddy’s, we’ll send you on the old-fashioned way.

Welcome to Freddy’s, you won’t enjoy your stay...

 

_[BG]_

Welcome to Freddy’s... Welcome to Freddy’s... Welcome to Freddy’s... x3

 

_[Freddy]_

Welcome to Freddy’s, we hope you enjoy your stay.

_[Bonnie]_

Welcome to Freddy’s, now you’ll never go away.

_[Chica]_

Welcome to Freddy’s, we’ll send you on the old-fashioned way.

_[Foxy]_

Welcome to Freddy’s, ye won’t enjoy yer stay...

 

_[All]_

Welcome to Freddy’s...

 

[Speaking, voices fading]

_TF: We’re not them. We simply are..._

_TB: We’ll choose our own destiny..._

_BOTH: We’ll play this part._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, it's not very good but I have a lot of fun with lyrics. I'm posting my two FNaF songs side-by-side simply so it gives you more to read but yeah. (Fun fact- Mechanical Heart was written before this.)


	29. Mechanical Heart (Springtrap's Choice) [Lyrics]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This soul resides in my mechanical heart, but  
> It’s not mine, it’s trying to tear me apart!  
> I try to keep my body in my own control-  
> Play your sounds, activate my protocol!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the other lyrics. These are even worse than the other :D

** Mechanical Heart **

_Springtrap’s Choice_

 

He tried to hide inside of me...

But he forgot about my springs...

I locked him in, trapped him in for their sake

I got revenge... but... I made a mistake...

 

I did not know how this would turn-

I did not know his hate would burn

Stronger than my love, stronger than my will-

I did not know he would not stay still.

 

Try to run, try to hide- my maps are his to know;

His sights are on your life- please, now, you must go!

I don’t want innocent blood on my hands!

It’s not me, please try to understand...!

 

_[Chorus]_

 

This soul resides in my mechanical heart, but

It’s not mine, it’s trying to tear me apart!

I try to keep my body in my own control-

Play your sounds, activate my protocol!

 

It’s not me who hunts you every single night-

Why are you here? You cannot win this fight!

Can’t you see- does your life mean so little to you?

Please- I cannot keep him from getting through!

 

_[/Chorus]_

 

His shrieks fill my mind when I am alone,

Wanting, waiting, for your face to be shown,

Midnight strikes, he takes the wheel, and I am powerless

But for the sounds I hear, my program stalls this mess-

 

But only for so long!

 

Don’t you understand your life is in danger?

He will not stop, this familiar stranger-

His goal is your demise, I only try

To keep you alive-!

 

This soul resides in my mechanical heart, but

It’s not mine, it’s trying to tear me apart!

I try to keep my body in my own control-

Play your sounds, activate my protocol!

 

It’s not me who hunts you every single night-

Why are you here? You cannot win this fight!

Can’t you see- does your life mean so little to you?

Please- I cannot keep him from getting through!

 

I cannot fight him, I cannot win;

His soul’s too strong, it’s full of sin-

But there is one thing that I can do...

If it means that I can save you...

 

_[Silence]_

 

_[Speaking]_

 

Then watch me burn.

 

_[Music returns]_

 

_[Chorus Change]_

 

This soul resides in my mechanical heart, but

It’s not mine, it tried to tear me apart!

But I will not let him use me as he’s willed!

I see clearly- right now it’s kill or be killed!

 

I’ll not hunt you every single night-

It’s time to put an end to this fright!

The nightmare ends right now

And I shall take my final bow...!

 

_[Fade to silence then sound of flames]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for putting you guys through this shit but I wanted to share these no matter how embarrassing they are. Soorrryyyy!
> 
> "Right now it's kill or be killed"- and Springy ain't even talking about Purple Guy there.  
> (Hint: Spring doesn't wanna kill.)


	30. Time's End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The timeline is breaking apart and it knows exactly what is to blame...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! This is an AU that fits in with canon but at the same time doesn't. It has sentient! animatronics and it explores the idea of a Redeemable Murderer (working on the “Crying Child is the Murderer's son and his death drove the Murderer insane” idea). The major characters are the FNaF 1 and 2 crews (minus Withereds + BB), Phone Guy and Springtrap/Murderer. I wrote this in March (like a lot of the more recent ones showing up!) and this is something I do want to finish someday. Please note that this was started/conceived before Sister Location was a thing, so obviously I'm leaving FNaF:SL characters out!
> 
> This is just a short introductory chapter!
> 
> Title: Time's End  
> Warnings: Timeline fun, multiple timeline with "base" timeline theory, idea as Fate as an entity, sentient animatronics, female!Mangle  
> Pairings: None so far

**1987**

Jeremy Fitzgerald rubbed his temples. Children were running around, screaming and just generally having fun. He didn’t mind that part, he had a little brother after all so he was used to it. What he _did_ mind was the fact that he had just worked a night shift and had zero sleep, and he instantly started the day shift... at a birthday party.

He began walking around the restaurant, watching warily as the Toy Band entertained the children out on the floor; Toy Chica by bringing children snacks, Toy Bonnie by “teaching” some children to play guitar and Toy Freddy telling corny jokes to a small crowd of delighted children.

The redhead could feel eyes on his back. He knew it was that creepy Marionette, watching him as it gave some oblivious child a gift. No doubt it recognized him. He was sure all of them had. When he had come back inside with the morning crew, all of them had snapped to attention, staring straight at him. It made Jeremy feel... weird. It had seemed so...

Alive.

He pushed the thought away and sighed again, turning around... only to find Mangle hanging right in front of him. He bit back a scream and backed away several steps. _Why is Mangle out of Kid’s Cove_? he asked himself, staring wide-eyed at the fox. People began pausing to stare at the scene, confused by what was happening. Even the animatronics seemed to realize something was going on; all at once their attention snapped to him... again. It was very creepy, but right then Jeremy was more concerned with the “glitching” fox.

Time seemed to slow down as a low growling sound emitted from Mangle’s ruined voicebox, and she opened her metal jaw wide, showing off her _very_ sharp, _very_ metal teeth... and Jeremy realized just a moment before she lunged what was happening.

But then, all at once, their surroundings- the walls, the ceiling, the tables, the people- shattered into dust, and Mangle fell onto the floor in a confused heap. Jeremy jerked back, eyes wide and staring- but not at Mangle anymore.

Only a floor remained, that stupid black-and-white checkered floor, and the Toy Fazband were looking around just as he and Mangle were. A shifting sound behind him caused Jeremy to whirl around, seeing the Marionette for once without its box, pushing itself up off of the floor where it had fallen.

“What’s going on?” a voice suddenly asked, causing Jeremy to whirl around _again_ to see the animatronics all looking at one another in confusion. The voice had belonged to Toy Bonnie, but Jeremy quickly dismissed it; pre-recorded messages and all that. Jeremy’s gaze drifted to where the walls and ceiling once were, seeing only... blackness? Whiteness?

He couldn’t tell what color his surroundings were as it seemed to shift in and out of focus. All he could really understand was that there was a distinct _nothingness_ there.

Then, a horrifying _crack!_ reached his ears. He looked down at his feet, his eyes widening as he realized the ground was _cracking_ right under them, despite the fact that there was a layer of concrete underneath the tile.

“What’s going on?!” Toy Bonnie questioned again, this time its voice tinged with fear that no animatronic should rightly possess, but Jeremy didn’t have time to dwell on this fact. He took a single step back... and the floor shattered. He let out a shriek as he fell into the void, but it was cut short as he felt the nothingness take over.

**1989**

“Hello, hello? Hey! Hey, wow day four. I knew you could do it.”

He wasn’t even bothering with the tablet anymore. They had him surrounded and the power was dropping like an avalanche. Foxy was banging at the door, Chica and Bonnie groaning in the windows. They were tired of playing their game and they were coming for blood. He knew that. He knew he was about to die.

“Uh, hey, listen,” he started uneasily, tapping the desk. “I may not be around to send you a message tomorrow.” An exceptionally loud bang sounded, causing the brunette to flinch. He was sure the recording picked up on it. “It- it’s been a bad night here for me,” he admitted, not ashamed at all about his stutter. Why should he be? He was about to die, anyway. “Um, I-I’m kinda...”

He trailed off as the room surrounding him seemed to spin. The building seemed to be shaking, confusing the brunette thoroughly. Was this what having a heart attack was like? Or was there an earthquake? The banging got louder and Freddy began playing Toreador March, but he was no longer paying attention.

The man rushed to his feet, stumbling backwards out of his chair as the world around him seemed to shatter, the sounds fading away to nothing. He looked around wildly at the darkness- lightness?- rushing in to surround him, and then... the floor collapsed under his feet. He let out a strangled shriek, reaching out to grab at anything, but he saw that there was nothing there.

As he fell, he wondered if _this_ was what a heart attack felt like. Was this all in his mind? Or was he really falling into oblivion, into a space that he couldn’t tell if it was white or black?

Then there was nothing.

**1993**

Mike moaned a bit, glancing quickly at Pirate’s Cove to see the fox peeking out. It was his second week on the job and he knew his heart was beating way too fast to be healthy. It was 5:56 AM, but he only had 20% left and Chica and Bonnie were camping at his doors. This wasn’t fair, not at all.

Then again, he mused dryly to himself, since when was it fair? _Why, why did I keep coming back_? He asked himself, checking the lights. Seeing Bonnie’s shadow, he left the west hall door closed, but seeing Chica gone he opened the door. Almost immediately he heard Freddy’s laughter, prompting him to close the door again. Down five percent.

 _I’m dead,_ he finally thought, and as he did so a brown hand grabbed the tablet. His heart dropped. Freddy had slipped in in those few seconds the door had been open and he hadn’t noticed.

Freddy Fazbear yanked the tablet out of the man’s hand and shrieked in his face, causing Mike to shriek in response and throw himself backwards. He stared, wide-eyed, as the animatronic slammed open both doors, revealing that the three other animatronics were there. Behind Freddy, the golden suit he’d seen a few times appeared to watch, and Mike felt a sob escape his chest.

He was young and had a promising future ahead of himself. He had just finished high school and was on a fast track to an engineering degree in a top school, he’d already been accepted and everything. However, it wasn’t like he could tell that to the machines. Why would they care?

He scrambled away but he wasn’t fast enough; a metal hand closed around his ankle. The young blue-eyed man screamed and thrashed, trying to get out of Freddy’s hold, but he felt himself being dragged out into the west hall anyway. The other two animatronics in the west hall stepped aside, allowing the bear animatronic through, and they, along with Chica, began following, staring down emotionlessly at Mike as he struggled and clawed at everything around him.

 _I’m dead,_ he resigned himself and fell limp. His ankle was burning and felt crushed, he was hanging awkwardly out of the bear’s grasp with his chest and arms dragging on the floor; he could even feel the tile, rough with grime, rubbing against his stomach where his shirt had ridden up and _it hurt._

But then something peculiar happened. The building began shaking, and all four animatronics stopped dead. Just past their legs, Mike could see Golden Freddy peeking out of the office. He was standing. That thought sent chills through Mike, but only for a moment.

“Huh... we’re not in an earthquake-prone area,” Mike mumbled, staring at the trembling walls and very purposefully avoiding looking at the three animatronics behind Freddy. “I wonder why-”

The animatronics let out sudden screeches as the walls and ceiling began collapsing around them, and instinctively Mike covered his head to protect himself from debris. Freddy released his ankle, sending Mike’s body to slump awkwardly on the ground. It was then that Mike realized nothing had landed on him. Taking advantage of the moment, Mike scrambled away... but froze upon seeing what had replaced the walls.

It was... nothingness. His mind didn’t know how to understand what he was seeing. Was it black? Was it white? Was it... something else? He couldn’t tell, but sitting there on the grimy floor, Mike and all five animatronics stared at where the walls once stood.

They were all silent, clearly shocked- something that hadn’t registered in Mike’s mind yet- before the floor began shaking too. Mike looked down at the black-and-white tiles as they began cracking under him, watching how the cracks seemed to extend from wherever he or the animatronics were touching the floor. Eyes widening, he shoved himself to his feet... but as he did so, the ground shattered and dissolved, sending all five beings falling, falling, falling... and Mike could only scream until the nothingness had enveloped all of them.

**2023**

Springtrap stared through the window, his perpetual grin plastered on his face. The guard inside the office, a girl of no more than twenty-two, was desperately trying to fix the systems.

 _Go,_ a voice hissed to him, _kill her now!_ But the bunny resisted. He wanted to give her a chance. He didn’t want to hurt anyone; hurting people wasn’t good.

Fredbear would never forgive him. He was mad enough when he made the springlocks go off to kill the bad man. Imagine how mad he’d be if he hurt someone innocent!

 _Fredbear’s been dead for over thirty years, you bucket of bolts,_ the voice hissed, and Springtrap found himself walking towards the door. A “Hello!” echoed throughout the attraction, and although Springtrap wanted to find the child, he found he was no longer in control of where he went.

He found himself in the doorway, staring at the terrified girl. The girl was trying to stare him down, but Springtrap already knew her effort was futile. He could only hold the bad man back for so long, after all. He wasn’t as strong as the bad man.

“Oh god,” the girl inside cried, trying to jab something on her screen without looking away from him. The alarms were going off, and Springtrap felt himself growing annoyed by them. His annoyance was enough to break whatever little control he had over his own body, and he found himself swiftly moving towards the guard. “Oh god!”

But then, as he was reaching for her, everything flickered before shattering- including the guard herself. His hands swept through air, and though Springtrap felt relief flow through him, a deep anger flared up in his chest as well.

 _No!_ The voice shrieked while Springtrap silently celebrated. He then looked around, noticing the walls crumbling and turning to dust before blowing away in a nonexistent wind. What was happening? “I-i-i-is the n-n-n-n-night-t-t-m-mmar-r-rrre fin-n-nal-lly ov-ver?” he asked aloud, his voice box glitching horribly.

 _The nightmare never ends,_ the voice hissed in response, but Springtrap kept staring out at the vast nothingness around. It was a nothingness he was somewhat familiar with, in the brief moments of being shut down he could remember. It was the nothingness of not existing. _The nightmare never ends!_

There was a loud cracking noise, and Springtrap looked down now. He tilted his head, ignoring the ranting voice in his mind, and he very carefully lifted a foot before tapping it against the cracked tiles. Within a second of his foot touching the tile, it shattered, and Springtrap gave a fearful, mechanical yelp as he found himself falling, falling, falling... falling into the nothingness down below. Only one thought crossed through his mind, screaming above the angry voice.

_Is the nightmare over?_


	31. The Choices we Make

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are choices in our lives. Choices we have to make. Choices that change our entire lives. Then there are choices we wouldn’t change, no matter what the alternative could have been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a little collection of shorts, different choices that different characters make that change the course of their lives. These all happen within the same universe.
> 
> Title: The Choices We Make  
> Warnings: Hinted abuse, blind!Toy Freddy, amnesiac!Spring  
> Pairings: Bonnie/Blu, Goldie/Spring, Freddy/Red, onesided OC/Chii, Chica/Chii

He had never seen the young street performer before.

The little blue rabbit, barely eighteen if he had to wager a guess, was standing on the sidewalk playing his guitar. His clothes were patched, held together practically by pins, and there were no shoes on his feet. His fur was rather unkempt and a fading bruise around his eye told Bonnie that he was homeless, performing for petty change to maybe buy a new shirt or maybe something to eat.

However, the smile on his face, the brightest and most genuine smile he had ever seen in person, told Bonnie that he was performing because he loved it.

His guitar was cherry red and though it had a few dents and scratches, it was well taken care of- a huge difference from the shabby cloth that covered its case, sitting on the sidewalk next to his feet. He smiled as he played and Bonnie couldn’t help but pause among the crowd, watching the young musician play a song for them.

Then came a choice.

He could choose to continue on with the crowd, either dropping some change or just going along his merry way, and make it to his audition for that band in time. He would make the cut- even go on to perform, and that street performer would never cross his mind again; no guilt, no regret. His everyday life would be a dream; he’d never want for anything and he would live to do what he loved every day. It was a safe choice- the choice that offered a chance at a future.

He could choose to stay. He could stay and speak to the street performer- find out his story, offer him a safe place to sleep, and be late for his audition. His tardiness would disqualify him, but he’ll have made a new _true_ friend, someone he could confide in. He’d never be famous, but he would find a nice, fun little cafe run by twin bears, and there he and the younger rabbit would perform together. They’d be the main attraction, along with the other musicians of course, and make a decent, comfortable living. He’d spend his days doing what he loved right alongside people he would call friends his entire life... and he would even get married to that street performer with the raggedy clothes and bright emerald eyes.

One choice offered safety. The other offered lifelong companionship. He knew neither.

He didn’t have long to make the choice; the last chords of the rabbit’s song were fading away and the crowd had begun to move along again. Time was ticking down.

He could either walk _away_ from the stranger or _towards_ him.

In a split second, with no idea how it would affect the rest of his life, Bonnie made his choice.

The rabbit, noticing a shadow fall on the ground next to his foot as he packed his guitar away, looked up and smiled. “Hey there, how ya doin’?”

* * *

It was storming badly that night; it was nearly impossible to see five feet in front of yourself. Lightning lit up the sky, thunder crashed around, and the rain only came down harder still.

Spring looked worriedly out at the rain, frowning to himself as it came down in sheets. He was finally sixteen years old and had a brand new unrestricted license- but he didn’t want to go out into the storm. Especially at night. He could barely see out the window on a clear night; right then it was nigh on impossible.

“Come on, Spring,” the voice over the phone practically begged him. “It’s not that bad! Just come get me and we’ll go hang downtown!”

It was a bad idea, Spring knew- but this was his only real friend. How could he possibly deny his request?

“Nothing will happen, come on. Just come get me, man, don’t be a party pooper.”

He had a choice.

He could give in and get out on the road in the pouring rain. If he did, on his way to his friend’s house he would lose control of the car- he’d hit a puddle going just slightly too fast and hydroplane, running off the shoulder of the road, flipping the car and getting severely injured in the process. He would end up in the hospital in a coma, the doctors predicting he’d never wake up again. However, he would wake up... but not until he was twenty years old- four years after the accident- with no recollection of his life before. He would have to start over with the scars of a choice he’d never remember making without the friend he wouldn’t remember almost dying for.

He could say no and hang up, staying home that night instead. His friend would disown him for forcing him to miss “that party downtown,” and he would finish out highschool all on his own. He would go to an Ivy-League university, though, and he would graduate top of his class in science and engineering. He would invent a device that would become a household item, and though he would never become well-known for it he would be set for life. He would be recruited for all kinds of big-name projects and be practically revered in the science circles; he’d be comfortable despite knowing where his heart truly laid.

One choice meant struggle. The other meant security. He knew neither.

Staring out the window and listening to his friend beg over the phone, Spring realized he would have to choose soon.

Time was ticking. He made his choice.

He grabbed his car keys. “I’ll be there in five.”

* * *

The rabbit was struggling to balance all of his books.

He just watched the scary-looking rabbit as he walked by, the books stacked up precariously in his arms. The rabbit was scarred beyond belief- on his face, his ears, his arms, and undoubtedly the rest of him- and he didn’t even try to smile.

There was something about his eyes that got the bear’s attention, though. They were pale green and looked somehow... so _sad._ So alone.

Goldie glanced down at the cup of coffee in his own hands then back up right in time to see someone passing by the obvious-student casually hit the books, sending both them and their carrier to the concrete ground. He frowned, watching the rabbit push himself up to his knees and begin picking up the books. People laughed or stared, skirting around him, and no one paused to help.

The rabbit seemed to be on the verge of tears at that point.

He had a choice.

He could stand up from his seat and go outside, helping the poor rabbit pick up all of his books. He’d invite the rabbit inside the cafe for a drink and a rest, ask him about the books- what did he study? Where did he attend school?- and eventually about his story- where he was from, why he was there. Afterwards he’d help the rabbit carry the books back to his apartment where he would find out that the rabbit studied music in his free time, and he’d invite the rabbit to come back to the cafe sometime to play for them. Eventually the rabbit would return, and Goldie would have him hired as a part-time entertainer almost instantly- and things would only grow from there, their friendship deepening into something so much more, and it wouldn’t stop growing even after he’d give the rabbit a ring and his name.

He could stay there in his seat, simply watch the rabbit pick the books up. He’d wonder for a while what the rabbit’s story was- why did he have so many books?- and every now and then he would wonder what would have happened if he had simply stood up and went out to help him. He’d forget for a while, then one day he’d turn on his television to find the rabbit on the local news, having given up trying to get by in a life he couldn’t remember how to live. He’d wish for years that he had just taken a few minutes out of his day to speak to him- he’d wonder how different things could have been if he had just helped him- but as life went on, one day he would forget all about that rabbit and settle down with some girl who’d auditioned at the cafe, and his life would be comfortable- stable, even.

One choice offered a life full of adventure and love. The other offered a life full of wondering and comfort. He knew neither.

The rabbit was picking up his books, steadily but surely, and Goldie knew he only had a minute or so to decide.

After a few seconds, he made his choice.

The golden rabbit looked up as an equally-golden hand held out a book to him.

* * *

Red never had much hope for his life.

Born to an alcoholic father and a drug-abusing mother, he was disadvantaged from the start. He was hardly nine years old when he collapsed at school and was rushed to the hospital, where it was discovered he had suffered severe trauma from- something.

His parents claimed a car crash was what caused the head trauma and Red didn’t dare tell the doctors what had _truly_ caused it. He didn’t dare tell the doctors that his father in a drunken rage one night slammed a mirror into him, and he didn’t dare tell them his mother stood by and did nothing.

Less than a month later his mother walked out on them, leaving Red with his father.

By the time he was eleven, he was legally blind and in foster care.

When he was thirteen, a sympathetic lady adopted him, and since then he had never been allowed to do anything for himself. He spent his days reading from his braille books and listening to music, not allowed to learn any instruments or play in any sports. Homeschooled, he never had the chance to meet other children his own age.

He had thought when he turned eighteen that he could finally break free from his overbearing adoptive mother, but somehow- _somehow-_ she had convinced the people around them that he was unfit to take care of himself.

Therefore, at twenty-one years old, Red had yet to experience true freedom and had essentially given up any hope he had of being free.

He was walking downtown with his mother, her hand on his arm leading him along, watching the blurred masses of colour pass him by when he heard it. His ears pricked up as music reached them; it was the sound of a guitar partnered with a piano and the most amazing voice he’d ever heard in his life.

It was smooth and deep and matched the tone of the song perfectly, and he wanted to hear more.

His mother kept walking, and as she did the music got further away. Her grip on his arm was loose.

He had a choice.

He could keep following his mother, accepting his fate. He would be in her house for years to come, just reading and dreaming of the world outside- a world he longed to be a part of but was forever held back from. He would be stuck there until the day his mother died, and then he wouldn’t know what to do with himself; he never would have learned how to truly live on his own. He wouldn’t know how to get around without a hand guiding him. He’d finally be free but unable to act on that freedom- and he would feel even more trapped than he ever had in his life.

He could pull away from her grip and follow the music. He would stumble and push his way through the crowd, unable to see where he was going and relying solely on the sound of that voice. His mother would try and follow but he’d pay her no mind, following that voice until he would come upon a cafe. In the lazy summer day its door would be wide open and he would wander inside, listening to that voice sing. His mother would pass the door by, and he would stand there, one hand on a wall, listening to the music. Someone would ask him if he needed help and at first he would decline, but they would help him to a seat anyway. After the song was over he would speak to the people there, and when his mother would show up he’ll have made friends with them. It would give him the courage he needed to stand up to his mother and finally leave to make his own way in life. He would find himself back at that cafe, one day performing right next to that voice which led him to freedom. One day he’d be walking not with a hand on his arm but a hand in his own.

One choice was familiar dependence. The other was unfamiliar freedom. He knew neither.

He had only a few seconds. He made his choice.

His mother called his name but he didn’t turn around.

* * *

He was down on one knee, looking up at her hopefully.

The ring was beautiful- breathtakingly so- and Chii felt shaken to the very core. She wanted to be free- not tied down to this man who she could by no means claim to love.

It had only been a few months and she had realized by then that he was not someone she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, but those brown eyes stared up at her, silently begging her to say yes and to not break his heart.

She didn’t want to hurt him.

He was a good man; young, successful, and he had a good future ahead of him. He was the kind of man her mother would have wanted her to marry.

Clenching the fabric of her dress in her fists, she looked down at the man.

She had a choice.

She could follow her heart and reject him. He would accept her rejection gracefully, though with hurt clear in his eyes, and their relationship would deteriorate quickly afterwards. She would go on to explore herself more, meeting new people, and one of those people she would introduce to the man she rejected. She would be a bridesmaid at their wedding, and at the wedding she would meet the man’s cousin- a girl just a few years older than Chii herself. She would introduce Chii to a whole new lifestyle, one that Chii would discover she preferred, and they would continue being friends even after their relationship broke down. She would go on to meet “the one” when she decided on a whim to go to culinary school; the other would invite Chii to meet her makeshift family, and one day Chii would join her friend in the kitchen there. She would end up falling in love with her, and even though they would never have children she would have no regrets with how her life turned out.

She could do what her mother would want and marry him. He would be ecstatic at her acceptance and the wedding would be beautiful- perfect, even. She’d be able to convince herself for a while that it was even what she wanted. Within the first year, there’d be a little one on the way, and she’d go on to have three within seven years. Everything would be fine; she would be able to distract herself from her general dissatisfaction with life by focusing on her children. She’d never go to school, instead staying home for twenty years being a mother and wife, and each year that passed she'd wonder more and more just what life would have been like if she’d said no. The only thing that would keep her from leaving were those three children.

One choice offered true happiness. The other offered security and family. She knew neither.

She could put the choice off, she knew- ask for more time. But she also knew the longer she took, the more time people in her life had to convince her one way or another.

The clock was ticking and she could feel it in her heart.

She made her choice.

Gently closing the box, all she could say was, “I’m sorry.”

* * *

His mother stared at him, her eyes hard, as she stood next to the door.

On his back he wore his bookbag, stuffed with clothes and all of the money he had to his name, and in his hand he held his guitar case. His clothes were mussed and his fur was messy, his face youthful but his jaw set and a determined gleam danced in his eyes.

He looked up at her, stubbornly lifting his chin, challenging her to try and stop him.

“If you go you’re not welcome back,” the woman warned the teen. “If you walk out this door don’t ever come back.”

He almost laughed- was that meant to discourage him? “I don’t plan to,” he told her simply, smiling bitterly at her. All the pain he had suffered at that rabbit’s hands- did she really think he’d want to return?

“You’ll go hungry and starve out there,” she hissed, hazel eyes never leaving his emerald. “You cannot make a living off of an old guitar. You will die all alone, and no one will help you!”

The little blue rabbit just stared back at her, eyes steely. He knew the world wasn’t that bad a place- somewhere out there someone always cared.

“Wanna bet?”

He had a choice.

He could stay and endure the pain until college. He would end up scarred and broken if he did, nearly dead before he even turned eighteen in a month, and he would regret it for the rest of his life. He’d never play guitar again, never perform for crowds, never meet any of his best friends or the man who’d one day be his husband, never save the orphans who’d one day be his children; he’d be bedridden in a hospital forever, losing himself in his fantasies of what if as the caretakers carelessly went through their daily routines. He’d be more alone than ever.

He could leave and never come back. He would have to drop out of school and he’d give up any dreams of college, struggling to get by on the streets. He’d perform for change, but more importantly he’d perform because he loved it. When he performed he’d smile, knowing he was free _because_ he made that choice. And though he’d be fatherless and now motherless, he’d go through life positively. On a chance he’d meet someone who would help him through his hard times, and he would fall in love with him. He would marry that man, and when he chanced upon three little kits in the same situation he’d been in as a kit himself, they would take them in. It would not be an easy road, but one day he would have a family he’d always wanted- just not in the way he had always imagined.

One choice meant a life of regret. The other meant struggles and happiness. He knew neither.

It didn’t take even three seconds to make his choice.

He walked out that door and never looked back.


	32. Pick a Number (Chance)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonnie, working pizza delivery, gets an order from the upscale neighborhood on Lakeview Road. However, that isn't the only surprise awaiting him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is something I wrote back in September so pls don't judge. It was supposed to be like the first part of essentially a oneshot collection that focuses around the phrase "pick a number" (generally in reference to, well, this). It was gonna have a plot tho when Spring & his brothers' parents were introduced but yeahhh... I never wrote a second one or anything like that, so here!
> 
> Title: Pick a Number (Chance)  
> Warnings: Rich!Spring  
> Pairings: None, pre-Original/Toys, pre-Goldie/Spring

_Franklin Evans_

_1424 Lakeview Road_

Double-checking the address, Bonnie breathed a sigh and slid out of the car, raising a brow at the iron-wrought gate. It was open, but he wasn’t too keen on actually driving onto the mansion’s property.

_Why is a rich guy ordering pizza anyway?_ Bonnie questioned with a snort. Luckily it was the last stop, so he shut off the ignition, grabbed the three pizzas, locked the doors, and began the trek up to the front porch of the mansion. _Can’t they just get their cook to make something?_

Balancing the bag of pizzas with one hand, he rang the doorbell. After just a few seconds, the door flew open with the person on the inside laughing, “I got it first!”

Bonnie was struck dumb because _I recognize this person._ As Bonito Rodriguez turned to him, a large grin on his face, Bonnie was sure his brain had stopped working.

Rodriguez froze upon seeing Bonnie standing there, his grin slowly slipping off of his face. “Oh Dios mio,” the Spaniard uttered just a moment before a golden blur slammed into him, sending him to the ground with a startled squeal.

Bonnie watched in shock as “Springtrap” Salvage picked himself up off of the ground, helping his friend up as well. Then Salvage turned his eyes to Bonnie.

The rabbit froze, his own smile fading into a look of abject horror. “Henderson?!” he practically squeaked, promptly letting go of Rodriguez’s arm.

Slowly, Bonnie lifted the pizza. “Um... hi,” he greeted lamely, staring at the two rabbits wide-eyed.

Salvage laughed awkwardly. “R-right. Right. Ah, just a moment,” he added, sidestepping away- presumably to grab the card he was using.

The silence between the two rabbits left waiting was more than a little awkward. Bonnie glanced at Rodriguez, unsure if he should say anything.

Curiosity got the best of him.

“So,” he started awkwardly, catching Rodriguez’s attention. “Um... Franklin Evans?”

“Uh... it’s, um, his legal name,” Rodriguez explained vaguely, leaning against the doorframe and glancing back into the house. “His ex-step father’s name,” he added, as if that made any difference.

“And, ah... who lives _here?”_ Bonnie questioned, raising a brow. Rodriguez bit his lip and glanced inside again. “Er... does _Salvage_ live here?” He simply could _not_ believe that.

Frowning, Rodriguez said, “Check the name on the mailbox when you leave.”

It was a not-answer, but Bonnie figured it was the best that Rodriguez would give him. “Right...”

Then Salvage was back, the card in hand. Bonnie only glanced at it, noting that it did, in fact, say _Franklin Evans._ He handed the receipt over to the golden rabbit to sign, not having to explain anything.

Salvage stepped to the side, presumably to press down on a table or something. Rodriguez watched him from the corner of his eye before glancing over towards Bonnie.

“Henderson,” he started slowly.

“What?”

“Pick a number, five through ten.”

_What?_ Bonnie raised a brow at him, clearly confused, but he complied and said, “Seven.”

“Good number,” Rodriguez muttered, turning to Salvage again. Salvage reappeared at that moment, handing the receipt and pen over to Bonnie. Bonnie, in turn, handed the pizzas off to him.

“Three pizzas is a lot for two people,” he noted, more as a way to try and lighten the awkward air.

Rodriguez snorted as Spring said, “Oh, it’s not just us two, it’s our brothers, Alfred, Chii, Mangle, Marion, and Marion’s brother and sister, too.” He then added almost as an afterthought, “It’s our youngest brother’s birthday.”

“Ah... that explains it,” Bonnie hummed, taking a step back from the door. “Well, uh, have fun?” It was almost odd, being polite to these two rabbits.

“Thanks,” Rodriguez drawled, and Bonnie rolled his eyes, turning around to head back to the car.

“Wait, Henderson!”

Pausing, Bonnie looked over his shoulder to see the pizzas being passed off to Rodriguez. “Huh?”

Rodriguez walked away from the door with the pizzas and Salvage stepped out, a small frown in place.

“Look,” he started, “I would really appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about this.”

“This?” Bonnie raised a brow. He had a feeling he knew _exactly_ what the rabbit meant, but still.

“This,” Salvage repeated, gesturing to the mansion behind himself. “We’ve gone through great pains to make sure no one at school knows,” he explained, looking at Bonnie with pleading eyes. “So we’d _really_ appreciate it if you kept this to yourself.”

“You expect me to hide this from my friends?” Bonnie questioned, almost amused.

“Frankly, I don’t give a damn if you tell your friends,” Salvage told him, frowning. “What I care about is you not telling Ashley Creol or Johnny Jeggs or any of that crew. We get enough crap from them as it is. Besides, can you even _imagine_ what would happen if the entire school found out some of the most unpopular kids in the entire school district are richer than Frederick and Freddy Fazbear?”

Bonnie frowned. Yes, he _could_ imagine what would happen, and it wouldn’t be all bad he supposed... but the popular students that Salvage had mentioned would give the Fazbear twins a _lot_ of shit about that.

Besides, Bonnie wouldn’t trust that lot with a dead rat.

“Fine,” he agreed, waving a hand dismissively. Salvage sighed in relief.

“One more thing.”

“You’re starting to wear on my patience, Salvage.”

“One more thing,” Salvage repeated, looking at him. “Don’t tell anyone about the numbers.”

Before Bonnie could even blink, Salvage was inside and the door was closing behind him. Shaking his head, Bonnie turned around and headed back to his car.

Halfway there, he finally realized that Salvage had said _our._ _Our_ brothers. _Some_ of the most unpopular kids. _Are._ He was using plurals.

_But who is we? ... Rodriguez?_

Frowning, he glanced towards the fancy brick mailbox at the end of the drive. In gold lettering on top, it read _Salvage._ On bottom in silver it read, _Rodriguez._

He stared at it for several moments, then he heaved a sigh and unlocked the car, slipping inside. Dropping the empty bag on his passenger seat, he went to put the receipt away...

And he realized exactly what Salvage had done.

The three pizzas had cost, in total with delivery fee and tax, just _under_ forty dollars. However, under “total” Salvage had written $ _67.29._

_Seven._

_Seventy percent._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering why the mailbox says "Salvage" when Spring's legal name is "Evans" right now, it's because in this particular AU Spring lives with his father instead of his mother. When his father got custody part of his mother's stipulations were he'd have to keep the (adoptive) name until he was 18. Also, Spring's dad is married to Blu's mom in this AU.
> 
> It's all sorts of messed up lol.


	33. Sink or Swim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Yeah, life is sink or swim, but they don’t usually tie an anchor to your foot before throwing you overboard! You don’t get it... I don’t know how to swim and I can’t breathe underwater. And the worst part is I’m just being dragged further and further down... and I don’t know if the pressure will crush me before I drown.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was feeling pretty down earlier and had like 5 hours until class began so I wrote a feelsy thing. It took me a while to decide what characters I wanted to use but with the scene in my head I realized it could not be anyone but Blu and Bonnie.
> 
> I won’t say if this is an AU you guys are familiar with or if it’s its own standalone AU. ;)
> 
> Title: Sink or Swim  
> Warnings: Talk of depression, hinted talk of suicide, characters speaking in metaphors, and unmentioned problems  
> Pairings: Pre-Bonnie/Blu (maybe its beginning, even)

Blu stared down at the coin in his hand, frowning as its copper surface reflected the light from the setting sun back into his eyes. Next to him the taller rabbit leaned against the railing, his eyes on the river below.

“I dunno what to tell ya,” Bonnie started, not looking over at Blu. The blue rabbit in question glanced up at him, frowning. “Just gotta take it one day at a time, Blu.”

“One day at a time,” Blu repeated with a snort, turning his gaze to the water far below the bridge they stood on. It was painted orange and gold, the city built up around it down the hill almost- but not quite- silhouetted against the sky. “You can only take things one day at a time for so long,” he muttered, clenching his fist and leaning his head against his open hand. “Eventually there won’t be a day.”

“You’re being too pessimistic,” Bonnie sighed, glancing at his friend. “Life is sink or swim, you just need to put a little effort into it.”

“A little effort?” Blu looked at Bonnie, scowling. “I put more than a  _ little _ effort into  _ trying _ to make things better!” He pushed away from the rail and turned away, clenching his fists tighter. He could practically feel those red eyes on his back. “Yeah, life is sink or swim, but they don’t usually tie an anchor to your foot before throwing you overboard!” He stared at their shadows on the bridge, watching as they stretched out to the other side as the sun slowly lowered itself in the sky behind them.

The day was already fading.

With a sigh the shorter rabbit dropped down onto the ground and leaned his back against the bars. “You don’t get it,” he mumbled, refusing to meet Bonnie’s gaze. “I don’t know how to swim and I can’t breathe underwater, Bonnie.” He opened his fist to look at the penny sitting oh so innocently on his palm. “And the worst part is I’m just being dragged further and further down... and I don’t know if the pressure will crush me before I drown.”

In the moments of silence which passed them by, Blu could hear only the whisper of wind in the trees. Bonnie didn’t say anything and Blu was torn between being glad and wishing that he would.

Then he felt movement.

Glancing up, he watched as Bonnie sat down beside him, back against the railing and the sun beyond.

“You know,” Bonnie started, his voice uncharacteristically soft, “you don’t need to be able to breathe underwater. You don’t even need to know how to swim.” The rabbit looked over at Blu and lightly bumped his arm, prompting Blu to properly turn to him.

“What does that even mean?” Blu asked, frowning. “If I can’t swim then obviously I sink, and if I can’t breathe then I drown.”

“But you can hold your breath,” Bonnie answered, shaking his head slightly at Blu’s words. “You can hold your breath and you can untie that anchor. You can let someone help you get your head back above the water and you can work to stay there. It’s not too late to learn how to swim, Blu, but it’s way too early to even think about giving up.”

Frowning, Blu looked back towards their shadows. “I don’t know if I can,” he admitted, watching as Bonnie’s shadow shifted closer to him. He wasn’t surprised to feel Bonnie’s arm slip behind him and he didn’t fight it when Bonnie pulled him closer. With a quiet sigh, Blu leaned against his friend and closed his eyes. “It’s really dark,” he added softly, knowing Bonnie would understand. “I can’t see anything, not even myself.”

“Try looking up,” Bonnie almost whispered, his hand mindlessly rubbing Blu’s arm. It was comforting. “You know there’re a lot of people up there waiting for you, looking for you. If you’d just look up then maybe you’d see their lights. You don’t have to do any of this alone, you know.”

Blu desperately wanted to believe him but he couldn’t bring himself to. Softly, he said, “I think I’m already too far gone, Bonnie. The lights can’t reach that deep.” 

Bonnie’s hand stilled but then he just pulled Blu closer to him, and Blu found himself in the older rabbit’s embrace. He leaned into Bonnie’s hold, unable to resist the affection his friend was offering him. A hand gently ran through his fur, slow and comforting. The warmth of the sun was gone but Blu didn’t feel cold. 

Briefly he felt Bonnie’s breath ghost over his ears. His words were soft, quiet, but unmistakable.

“Then I’ll come for you.”


	34. Common Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We tried to find common ground but the only common ground we found was in the people I loved- the people I loved were the people you loathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if y’all have noticed yet or not but in my “canon” ‘verses, the Toy Animatronics tend to have serious self loathing issues, in particular Blue and Red. I dunno why I enjoy playing with that dynamic, I guess I just get tired of the “Toys are assholes to the Withered animatronics and hate them” angle so I go the total opposite- where the Toys hate themselves for being replacements rather than hating their predecessors for it.
> 
> This is told from the first person POV of Toy Freddy and does not take place in any particular universe (though you could maybe see it related to “The Pain of a Guilty Conscious.” You could technically read this as a sort of poem if you like (that’s how it started in my head XD).
> 
> Title: Common Ground  
> Warnings: Guilt, self-loathing, mentions of death  
> Pairings: ABSOLUTELY NONE

We desperately tried to find common ground.

We desperately searched for something to bridge this gap between old and new- something to make this easier for you.

The only common ground we found was in the people I loved- the people I loved were the people you loathed. You turned away, ignoring my outstretched hand- “You’ll never be us,” was all you said to make us understand as you walked away.

“No,” I had said but you were already gone, “We are who we are and not who we’re not,” but you weren’t there to hear the words.

We desperately tried to find common ground, but everything we loved you loathed- things we got to do that you had done before, the things we took away from you.

“We didn’t have a choice,” we tried to say, “We didn’t want this,” we tried- but there was no common ground between us and you.

But then the nightguards came, and we found common ground.

The people I loved were the people you loathed but we found together we hated the nightguard more.

Things were different but still quite the same- we worked together to win this “game” but you stayed your way while we stayed ours. Never a word spoken between but nights became a routine and it became less and less surprising to find you nearby.

And when I stood there as my dear friend lunged I realized all along what real loathing was. It was written in the blood splattered across the floor, in the screams ringing down the halls, in the sick satisfaction we took in watching the man fall.

We loathed the nightguard as you loathed us- we’d do anything to see him gone, and now we’re slated to die but you can never say that we didn’t try our hardest to do what’s right.

I lied when I said we had no common ground.

You loathed the ones I loved, but the hatred in your hearts could never compare to the hatred we held for ourselves and these parts we never chose to play, and now I can say with no amount of uncertainty that this- this is the way things are meant to be.

You loathed us as we loathed ourselves, and maybe we loathed you just a little bit too- even as our final hour approached we never said a word to you, and maybe that is the most telling thing of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was very strange for me to write since as anyone reading this knows I am a hardcore Original/Toys trashbag...
> 
> Excuse it for not being very good, I was in intense pain when I wrote it and trying desperately to distract myself X'D


	35. Can You Keep a Secret?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pazon Bonnie and Norand Blu find themselves between a rock and hard place up on Mount Sabia, but Blu has a trick up his sleeve and Bonnie doesn't know how to react.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same AU as Cold Escape.
> 
> I'm posting this because it's NOT a secret in the AU itself, just to Bonnie and the majority of characters in the story.
> 
> Title: Can You Keep a Secret?  
> Warnings: Fantasy AU  
> Pairings: (overall) Pre-Original/Toys, pre-GoldenSpring, pre-Shafred/Bonsha

“You’re crazy,” Bonnie sighed, running a hand through the thick fur on his head. “How far is this goddamned cabin, anyway?”

“That depends, long or short way?” Blu hummed, sending Bonnie a sidelong look. Bonnie raised a brow.

“Gee, I wonder.”

“Twenty minute walk without breaks,” Blu told him, turning his gaze back to the path in front of him. “Can cut that time in half if you wanna run.”

“I’m done with running,” Bonnie groused, glaring at the sky. “I’m not running unless I have to.”

As he said those words, however, a strange sound reached his ears. Pausing, Bonnie looked over his shoulder. “What was that?” Blu muttered as Bonnie scanned their surroundings.

The snow wasn’t falling anymore but it laid in layers upon the ground, the only disturbance being Bonnie and Blu’s path. Yet still, there seemed to be a low growling filling the air.

“I don’t know but I don’t like it,” Bonnie decided, grabbing Blu’s shoulder. “Just keep going.”

The rabbit didn’t argue as they began walking again. The growling followed them and Bonnie was starting to become _very_ paranoid.

Then something leapt out of the snow and Blu let out a startled shriek.

Standing in their path was a _wolf._

_A wolf._

As in, fangs bared, four-pawed wolf.

On a mountain.

Bonnie immediately raised his hand, shoving forward with all of his strength a bolt of Electricity. It didn’t reach the wolf; instead, it collided with an Electric wall and a woman appeared out of the snow, a grin on her face and her hand lit up with Electricity.

In that moment, Bonnie knew they were fucked.

With a sinister smile, the lady pointed her non-Electrified hand at the wolf and said, “Sic ‘em, Pet.”

The wolf snarled and lunged, but Bonnie grabbed Blu’s arm and darted off of the more-solid path and into the snow. Blu yelped in surprise but allowed Bonnie to drag him through.

“Don’t lose them!” the woman called to the wolf who was, undoubtedly, following them. Bonnie concentrated on the snow beneath their feet, causing it to melt as they ran across it and quickly freezing it again once it was behind them- but he knew he couldn’t keep that up forever, hot and cold were complete opposites, he couldn’t sustain the switch-off forever.

“Bonnie, not this way!” Blu warned him. “There’s a dead end!”

“Not sure if you’ve noticed,” Bonnie started, glancing over his shoulder, “but there’s nowhere we _can_ go!”

And that wasn’t an exaggeration. On one side was a sheer drop and on the other was a steep incline that the wolf would get up long before Bonnie and Blu could get up; straight was the only direction they _could_ go.

“Well we have to risk _something_ or else we’ll-” Blu’s words were cut off as something tackled them, sending them both tumbling across the snow. The ground gave way beneath them and Bonnie bit back a yelp of his own as they tumbled down the freezing, rough incline.

They landed in a heap at the bottom of the unexpected hill and Bonnie groaned, his body aching. Blu, who had landed across Bonnie’s stomach, whined pathetically as he attempted to push himself up. His hands slipped in the snow and he fell down again, his elbow landing oh so perfectly against Bonnie’s gut.

With a yelp, Bonnie grabbed Blu and pushed him off. “Careful, geez,” Bonnie hissed, sitting up. Blu grabbed his arm and used him as leverage to pull himself up as Bonnie looked up the incline.

The wolf stared down at them, and Bonnie could have sworn it was _grinning._

Bonnie shoved himself to his feet, unwittingly dragging Blu with him, and turned around-

To find himself face to face with a wall.

They had fallen into a hole.

A shallow cave.

“Fuck,” he hissed, looking back at the wolf as it made its way down. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck _fuck.”_

Blu’s grip on his arm tightened as they backed up against the wall. “This is bad,” he noted, voice wavering slightly and much more high-pitched than it had been before. Bonnie held his hand up again, letting Electricity light up in his palm, but then three more wolves and the woman appeared at the top of the cave.

“We’re dead,” Bonnie stated flatly upon noticing them, letting his Electricity fade.

The first wolf lost its footing and tumbled to the ground with a yelp. It struggled up to its feet, but the other three were siddling on down now.

“Bonnie,” Blu suddenly started, his voice uncharacteristically low and serious. “How good are you at keeping secrets?”

“If it’s a secret that will save our lives,” Bonnie started, “then I’m _really fucking good_ at keeping secrets.”

“Then make a smokescreen between us and the woman.”

It was practically a command but at that point Bonnie wasn’t about to question it. The wolf at the bottom of the incline was still trying to catch its footing but it was only a matter of time. Bonnie’s crimson eyes briefly met the woman’s golden before he mentally reached out and gripped the air and _yanked_ on it.

The temperature in the cave instantly heated up, the hottest part right between Bonnie and the closest wolf, and the snow didn’t even melt- it turned straight to steam.

The moment their view of the woman was obscured- _we have to be quick, the snow and ice keeping that wolf down is gone-_ Blu released Bonnie’s arm and whirled around. Bonnie glanced over, somewhat alarmed, at his classmate, but before he could say anything, the smaller rabbit slammed his foot against the wall-

And the wall collapsed _into_ the ground.

Bonnie’s eyes widened as Blu grabbed him and dragged him through the now-opened wall. The wolf snarled and leapt, but Blu turned around, reaching his hand out and the steam turned straight to ice.

There was a bodily thump and a muffled yelp as Blu pressed his foot into the ground and swept it across, and the wall shot back up- as though it had never gone.

“Come on, it doesn’t take a genius to see what happened here,” Blu hissed, tugging on Bonnie’s arm. Bonnie allowed the rabbit to drag him along, the smaller rabbit’s other hand on the wall. He watched as the walls formed tunnels before falling back into place, effortlessly and without any sign of having ever moved in the first place.

He couldn’t believe it.

“You’re a Pazon,” Bonnie uttered, looking at Blu in shock. “You’re-”

“I’m not a Pazon,” Blu interrupted in a clipped tone.

“You’re not a Norand,” Bonnie countered, frowning at him. “Wait a minute, at school you’re-”

“Now is not the time to talk about this,” Blu sighed, focusing on the earth around them. “Not everything’s what it seems, Bonnie- that’s all you really need to know.”

“No, wait just a fucking _minute,_ Rodriguez,” he hissed, yanking his arm out of Blu’s grasp. The rabbit paused and looked at him warily. “You were marked as a Norand during the checks, your ID says you’re a Norand, _the school has you in Norand classes_ but you’re a fucking dual Elemental?!”

“Bonnie,” Blu started, “now is _not_ the time.”

“How?”

“I’ll explain it when we get to the cabin.”

“I want an answer, Rodriguez.”

Blu let out a frustrated breath before saying, “It’s easier to pretend you’re a Norand than it is to pretend you’re a Pazon. There’s your short answer, now come _on.”_

Bonnie stared down at Blu for several silent seconds, really trying to process everything that he’d just learned.

One, there was a group of people hunting down Pazons, including Pazons.

Two, Mount Sabia was covered in caves.

Three, Bonito Rodriguez’s family owned a cabin on Mount Sabia.

And four, _Bonito Rodriguez was a Pazon._

He was marked down as a Norand though. He was on a Norand career path, in Norand-exclusive extracurriculars, his ID proclaimed _Norand,_ the government had a _Pazon_ marked down as a _Norand-_ and said Pazon did not come forth with the truth.

That made Blu a criminal.

He couldn’t understand it- why anyone would pretend to be a Norand when being a Pazon gave instant advantages in life.

“Bonnie?” Blu tried, his voice somewhat uneasy. “Stop staring at me like that.”

“They were after you,” Bonnie muttered, furrowing his brow. “They were chasing you and they put _inhibitor cuffs_ on you, for _fuck’s sake,_ I should have seen it,” he groaned, covering his face with his hands. “The hell, Blu?”

“Okay, yeah, they were after me,” Blu gave, “but they didn’t know I’m- that- they didn’t know. They were after me for completely unrelated reasons and you got in the crossfire. Bonnie, please, the cabin is safe- they can’t get anywhere close to it, let’s go there before we’re found, I’ll answer _anything_ there, but please- fucking _please_ don’t tell anyone about me.”

Bonnie looked at him, studying him carefully. The rabbit’s fur was still mussed and worry reflected in his eyes; he was obviously scared for some reason.

After a few seconds, Bonnie sighed. “Fine,” he agreed, “but so help me, don’t you _dare_ lie to me again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What IS a secret, however, is how they went from being on last name basis to first-name(or nickname, in Blu's case) basis overnight. Let's just say something happened in that cave (in Cold Escape) with all that adrenaline pumping ;)
> 
> Also, yes, Blu, the other Toys, Spring and Bonsha (yes his name is Bonsha in this story, too) are all actually Pazons. The reason they're marked as Norands and WHAT their Powers are is to be revealed in the story itself, not here. (Also, the extent of Blu's Powers has not been revealed either, but there are factors about this AU none of you know so revealing them would pretty much mean nothing to y'all)
> 
> Please note that Blu rejected the title of Pazon. He's CHOOSING to live like a Norand. That is an extremely important aspect of his and Blu's relationship in this AU.


	36. Just Some Random Little Ficlets (Valentine's Maybe?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is just a really little collection of short ficlets I guess? Just little scenes that I think up.
> 
> The last one is longer than the rest because it was gonna be in a similar specially-for-Valentine’s collection that I didn’t finish, and I wanted to write more but nnng nothing wants to come out right right now :( So you get this for now. I'll have something new for y'all later, after I do all my homework -w-
> 
> Warnings: This includes a somewhat-possessive Bonnie?  
> Pairings: Goldie/Spring, Freddy/Alfred, Bonnie/Blu, onesided OC/Blu?

**Goldie/Spring**

Spring kept his eyes firmly on the book on his desk as the bear came to a stop next to it. He didn’t look up to see what Goldie wanted, determined to finish the chapter. Then the bear’s hand appeared in his vision, and Spring realized the bear was leaning on his desk.

“So,” Goldie started, and Spring, against his better judgement, turned his gaze to him. The bear was watching him, a slight smirk on his face. Spring fought the blush rising to his cheeks; he hated when his friend did that. “Rumour has it, Springy, that you’ve got a boyfriend.”

Blinking, Spring frowned and shook his head. He couldn’t believe people were saying that... “They’re just rumours,” he told the bear with a slight shrug. Goldie just leaned closer to him and Spring’s eyes widened, instinctively leaning away-  _ personal space invaded.  _ The bear didn’t seem bothered, however, as he just looked at Spring and grinned.

“Wanna make it true then?”

* * *

**Freddy/Alfred**

“Got any two’s?”

“Go fish.”

“Do you have  _ anything?” _

“That’s not a proper card number, Al.”

Alfred sighed and picked a card up off of the top of the deck. It was a seven of diamonds. Muttering, he matched it up with his seven of hearts and set it down with his two other pairs.

“Got any three’s?” Freddy asked lazily, leaning back against the wall and staring at the cards in his hand.

“Go fish.”

“This game is stupid.”

“Thank you for finally noticing.”

“We should up the ante.”

“This is go fish, not poker.”

“Then let’s play poker.”

“Fine.”

“... Strip poker.”

Alfred promptly threw the cards at him. “Pervert.” Freddy just laughed as the cards fluttered around him, raising a hand to placate the blushing bear. 

“I was just jokin’, calm it. But we can still play poker, it’s much better than this.”

He considered it for a moment, an idea popping into his mind before smirking at Freddy. “You want to up the ante, then let’s up the ante. Or, in this case, the bet.”

“Bet?” Freddy looked somewhat worried now. “I get the feelin’ you’re  _ not _ talkin’ about money or chips.”

Alfred just grinned.

* * *

**Bonnie/Blu**

Blu hummed as he made his way to his locker, his bag hanging lazily off of his shoulder. Turning down the desired hallway, his smile widened just a little more when he spotted Bonnie standing next to it, watching boredly as other students passed by.

“Hey, Bonnie,” Blu greeted cheerfully as he approached. Bonnie looked at him and grinned.

“Hey Blu,” he returned, giving his full attention to the shorter rabbit. “Good to see you’re not late this time.”

Pouting, Blu turned the combination on his locker. “Oh come on,” he complained, “I was only late  _ once.” _

“By an entire hour.”

“I told you, I overslept and then used the wrong makeup.”

“And I’ve told you that’cha don’t need makeup, so there.”

He snorted and opened his locker, letting his bag slide off his shoulder so he could remove textbooks, but a flash of red inside the locker caught his attention. Raising a brow at the contents of his locker, he picked up the red heart-shaped box of chocolates and the pink rose attached to it.

“Bonnie,” he started, glancing over at his boyfriend, “you remember I don’t eat chocolate, right?” It was a needless question- of  _ course _ Bonnie knew that, he even knew the  _ why. _ Blu couldn’t think of anyone else, though, that knew his locker combination and would have any interest in giving him a gift.

Well... there was that  _ one _ guy, but... surely not, he decided.  _ He’s so creepy and jerky... _

“Duh,” Bonnie scoffed, rolling his eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world- of course, to him it very well might have been, he’d already been dating Blu for two-and-a-half years now. 

Then the taller rabbit seemed to realize exactly what Blu held in his hands, and his little smirk immediately fell into a scowl. “Wait, what the fuck is  _ that.” _

“It’s chocolate,” Blu deadpanned, looking at the box with mixed disgust, amusement, and pity. 

“Rude,” Bonnie muttered, glancing at the students around them. It was no secret that Blu was already in a relationship; whoever left the rose and chocolates there was clearly trying to steal him away and Bonnie did  _ not _ appreciate that.

Before either of them could really say anything, something clanged against the locker next to Blu. Both rabbits turned to look at the wolf leaning there, grinning at Blu, and they both frowned.

_ So it’s  _ this _ annoying fuck. _

“So,” the wolf started, eyes briefly flicking up to Bonnie’s unimpressed gaze, “like your gift, Bon-Bon?” Blu’s ear twitched in irritation and Bonnie snorted- the last person who called Blu Bon-Bon got punched in the face. “I couldn’t help but notice your so-called  _ boyfriend _ didn’t buy you any chocolates last year, my dear, so I decided to rectify that this year. Obviously I’m the better man.” He smirked, clearly believing himself victorious over Bonnie. 

Bonnie was not impressed.

“Yeah, well,” Blu started flatly, holding the chocolate- and the rose- out for the wolf to take back, feeling absolutely no pity at all for having to reject the asshat, “he’s trying to  _ not _ kill me, y’know.” 

Blinking, the wolf looked at Blu in confusion. “What?”

Bonnie just smirked right back at the wolf and leaned over Blu’s shoulder. “Just so ya know, Grey,” he tsked, “you don’t buy chocolate for Blu.” When the wolf raised a brow challengingly, Bonnie simply expanded, “He’s allergic, you moron. That’s why I didn’t give him chocolate.”

Blu couldn’t help but laugh at the dumbfounded expression on the wolf’s face, dropping the chocolate into his arms. “Nice try,” Blu gave, “but Bonnie and I actually have plans tonight, which is loads better and much more fun than going to the hospital.”

With that, both rabbits turned back to Blu’s locker, sharing a look that was both amused and annoyed.

Bonnie would not forget this, though, and his gaze flicked up, briefly, to meet the now angry wolf’s gaze. He smirked a little more as Blu dropped his textbooks into the locker. Then Blu shut his locker and, without any hesitation, grabbed onto Bonnie’s arm and they turned to leave, Blu happily saying something or other about milkshakes and, apparently, pushing the wolf from his mind with no trouble.

He could practically feel those eyes watching them. Bonnie decided to pull his arm from Blu’s grasp and slide it around his waist, pulling the shorter rabbit against his side. Blu didn’t protest.

_ Keep trying, _ Bonnie thought to himself, barely glancing over his shoulder.  _ He’ll never be yours. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy late Valentine's Day X'D


	37. Fazbook and Friends (part 1 maybe?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here on Fazbook we strive to make your online experience a positive one. Come join us, friend!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO WHEN I WAS LOOKING THROUGH MY ONESHOTS FEELING BAD FOR LAST CHAPTER AND LOOKIT WHAT I FOUND
> 
> I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF WRITING THIS SO NO SURPRISE, I DID THIS MONTHS AGO
> 
> I am so sorry people XD
> 
> Title: Fazbook and Friends  
> Warnings: Facebook, Anthros  
> Pairings: The usual, yo (Original/Toy, Goldie/Spring, Shaf/Shab, Mike/Jer)

**Freddy Fazbear** is now friends with **Bonnie Henderson** , **Chica Sanchez** , **Foxy Jones** , and **11 others**

 

**Goldie Fazbear** : Hey **Freddy** , what’s up bro?

                **2 people** like this

    **Freddy Fazbear** : Goldie, we’re in the same room.

                **7 people** like this

    **Goldie Fazbear** : So? This is so much more convenient.

    **Alfred Fischbach** : Yes, so much more convenient... spend 30 seconds typing out what you want to say and 10 more for it to send, anywhere between 3 seconds and 5 minutes for Freddy to see and respond to it... rather than use the five seconds to just say it... so convenient...

                **14 people** like this

    **Goldie Fazbear** : Silence.

 

**Bonsha Salvage** has changed their relationship status from SINGLE to IN A RELATIONSHIP

                **23 people** like this

    **Spring Salvage** : Wait, what?

    **Spring Salvage** : Shabby, when were you gonna tell me this

                **2 people** like this

    **Blu Rodriguez** : Who is it?

    **Mangle Blanc** : Oh come on, Blu, that’s obvious.

                **Shafred Black** likes this

    **Blu Rodriguez** : Oh. Duh, right.

    **Spring Salvage** : Thanks for telling me...

    **Bonsha Salvage** : Aw, don’t be too sad Spring

    **Bonsha Salvage** : We’ve actually been dating a year tho

                **5 people** like this

    **Spring Salvage** : WHAT?!

                **8 people** like this

    **Shafred Black** : Surprise.

                **19 people** like this

 

**Bonnie Henderson** : That awkward moment some kid gives your friend chocolates for valentine’s... and your friend is allergic to chocolate

                **7 people** like this

    **Freddy Fazbear** : You say “awkward” yet you couldn’t stop laughing afterwards

    **Foxy Jones** : Give him a break, lad, it was all Bon could do not to throw the guy out a window

                **12 people** like this

    **Bonnie Henderson** : Shut up, Foxy

                **2 people** like this

 

**Goldie Fazbear - > Spring Salvage**: Happy birthday, Springy <3

**Spring Salvage** : Uh? It’s not my birthday, it’s not even April yet...

**Goldie Fazbear** : Everyday’s your birthday honeybunny~

            **4 people** like this

**Spring Salvage** : **Freddy** is he drunk again?

**Freddy Fazbear** : What do you mean by “again”?

**Spring Salvage** : Oh uh nothing don’t worry about it

            **7 people** like this

**Goldie Fazbear** : I SWEAR SPRING, BONNIE HACKED ME I DIDN’T SAY THAT!

**Goldie Fazbear** : And I’ve never been drunk, the punch was spiked

**Bonnie Henderson** : Be glad I didn’t do worse

            **6 people** like this

**Freddy Fazbear** : Wait, spiking his punch or hacking his account?

**Bonnie Henderson** : Silly question Freddy, I’m not 21- still got a ways to go until I can do that

**Freddy Fazbear** : Bonnie...

 

**Blu Rodriguez** has changed his relationship status from IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH **Ryan Grey** to SINGLE

                **27 people** like this

    **Bonnie Henderson** : About fucking time

                **16 people** like this

    **Alfred Fischbach** : Finally.

                **14 people** like this

    **Spring Salvage** : I think I found god

                **18 people** like this

    **Blu Rodriguez** : Oh ha ha, very funny guys. I know you didn’t like him but damn, do you really have to be so insensitive?

    **Spring Salvage** : Sorry, Blu... call me so we can talk, fb is not the place for this conversation

    **Alfred Fischbach** : I agree

 

**Bonnie Henderson** : So I was at **Freddy** and **Goldie** ’s house and this happened...

                                            [PHOTO]

                **31 people** like this

    **Chica Sanchez** : You have got to be kidding me

    **Freddy Fazbear** : TAKE THIS DOWN RIGHT NOW

    **Spring Salvage** : Oh my... Uh, **Goldie** , some context please?

    **Goldie Fazbear** : I TRIPPED I SWEAR

    **Chii Kain** : Goldie ends up in these situations a lot doesn’t he?

    **Foxy Jones** : Good ol’ Goldie, so predictable.

    **Marion Marshal** : This seems counterproductive to your project...

    **Mike Schmidt** : This is gold, thanks **Jeremy** for showing this to me.

                **13 people** like this

    **Goldie Fazbear** : Oh my god Dr. Schmidt please no

    **Blu Rodriguez** : Was that pun on purpose?

    **Mike Schmidt** : Oh man, nope, I made no pun what are you talking about Mr. Rodriguez, I dunno what you speak of.

    **Freddy Fazbear** : I’m cringing so hard right now

                **8 people** like this

 

**Alfred Fischbach** has changed his relationship status from SINGLE to IN A RELATIONSHIP

                **12 people** like this

    **Freddy Fazbear** : What.

    **Freddy Fazbear** : Bonnie don’t you dare like this!

                **4 people** like this

    **Bonnie Henderson** : Careful, Freddy, your jealousy is showing

    **Freddy Fazbear** : Don’t be stupid, Bonnie, I’m just confused.

    **Spring Salvage** : Chill, Freddy, Al ain’t even actually on. It’s an April Fool’s joke. If you wanna help out you can be the one he’s in a relationship with ;)

                **12 people** like this

    **Freddy Fazbear** : You’re so immature

                **2 people** like this

    **Blu Rodriguez** : Telling people it’s an April Fool’s joke kinda ruins the joke, Spring.

    **Spring Salvage** : Well then let’s delete these comments before he gets home and checks

    **Goldie Fazbear** : And this is why I love you

                **18 people** like this

    **Spring Salvage** : I’m just lovable that way

                **13 people** like this

    **Chica Sanchez** : Ho boy I’d love to have seen Freddy’s face when he read this!

 

**Alfred Fischbach** has changed his relationship status from IN A RELATIONSHIP to SINGLE

                **19 people** like this

    **Blu Rodriguez** : That was short lived XD

    **Alfred Fischbach** : Why are you guys so immature...

    **Freddy Fazbear** : I ask the same thing every day.

                **17 people** like this

 

**Night Shade** is now friends with **Freddy Fazbear** , **Bonnie Henderson** , **Chica Sanchez** , and **18 others**.

    **Alfred Fazbear** : About time you got a FB.

    **Night Shade** : Alfred?

    **Alfred Fazbear** : Yeah?

    **Night Shade** : ... Nothing. Thanks :D

                **5 people** like this

    **Alfred Fazbear** : Wait what the hell is this?

                **12 people** like this

 

**Alfred Fazbear** : Ha ha, really funny. You guys are hilarious. /s

                **21 people** like this

    **Spring Fazbear** : Yeah, I thought this was funny at first but then... HOW DO I CHANGE MY NAME BACK?!

                **18 people** like this

    **Blu Rodriguez** : Well mine is hilarious

                **17 people** like this

    **Bonnie Rodriguez** : Wtf is this, Blu do you have something to do with this?

    **Blu Rodriguez** : I can barely operate a phone, even less hack into 6 different accounts, Bonnie

    **Blu Rodriguez** : Idek how to change the name

    **Foxy Blanc** : Methinks I know who be t’ blame, lads

    **Mangle Blanc** : Heheheheheh…

                **24 people** like this

    **Bonsha Black** : What’s everyone’s problem, I think mine’s fine :D

                **Shafred Black** likes this

    **Spring Fazbear** : Of course you do...

    **Chica Sanchez** : On the bright side, they left us alone

    **Chii Sanchez** : I beg to differ, Chica.

    **Chica Sanchez** : MANGLE

    **Mangle Blanc** : I plead the fifth!

 

**Ryan Grey → Blu Rodriguez** : Hey, Bonito, can we talk?

    **Blu Rodriguez** : Fuck off

    **Bonnie Henderson** : Fuck off

    **Spring Salvage** : Fuck off

    **Alfred Fischbach** : Fuck off

    **Chica Sanchez** : Fuck off

    **Foxy Jones** : Fuck off

    **Goldie Fazbear** : Fuck off

    **Marion Marshal** : Fuck off

    **Bonsha Salvage** : Fuck off

    **Freddy Fazbear** : Fuck off

    **Chii Kain** : Fuck off

    **Ryan Grey** : So... is that a no?

    **Blu Rodriguez** : Fuck. Off.

                **37 people** like this

   

**Bonnie Henderson** and **Blu Rodriguez** are in a relationship

                **39 people** like this

    **Spring Salvage** : Talk about “about time”!

                **23 people** like this

    **Blu Rodriguez** : Careful, Spring, I know where you sleep at night

                **13 people** like this

    **Chii Kain** : So now who all’s left, Freddy and Al, Spring and Gold, Foxy and Mangle?

                **22 people** like this

    **Night Shade** : Don’t forget you and Chica!

                **19 people** like this

    **Alfred Fischbach** : Chii, we have been over this a hundred times already.

                **6 people** like this

    **Alfred Fischbach** : **Night** seriously don’t encourage her

                **5 people** like this

    **Freddy Fazbear** : Congrats **Bonnie** and **Blu.** **Chii** I have a spork and I know how to use it.

                **8 people** like this

    **Bonnie Henderson** : So this got real weird real fast

                **14 people** like this

    **Ryan Grey** : Dislike.

    **Bonnie Henderson** : Wtf didn’t I block you

 

**Goldie Fazbear → Spring Salvage** : WTF IS THIS?!

    **Spring Salvage** : Huh? What?

    **Goldie Fazbear** : Spring, pick up the phone. RIGHT NOW.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have no idea where I was going with this??? So who knows. Maybe I'll add more parts? Unsure. Ryan Grey, that fucker from "Love (Not Always the Best Defense)" is back.
> 
> (Maybe at a later date I'll add in the photo haha)


	38. The Worth of a Sky: Original Draft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My first draft of The Worth of a Sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! I realized it's been almost an entire month since I updated the oneshot collection (my apologies, been really busy and exhausted...) so here we go. 
> 
> This right here was my first drafting of "The Worth of a Sky," which I ultimately rejected in favour of the more peaceful, less onesided version... and it probably helps that a bit of the story changed between this draft and the one I decided on... A similar argument to this WILL show up in the AU it takes place in (between Ribbons, before Worth of a Sky) but not this exact argument.
> 
> If you see a big bold **[CENSOR]** it's because that line would have given away a huge plot point XD Granted it's not that much a secret but yea.

Bonnie dropped down from the trees, watching the rabbit jump and turn around in surprise. He gave the Organic a grin. “Jumpy still.”

_ “Why _ do you keep doing that?” Blu sighed melodramatically, turning back around to keep walking on. “Honestly, I nearly Destabilized you last time.”

“Destabilization is only temporary,” Bonnie dismissed with a wave of his hand. It was true; a Destabilized Robot was bedridden- for lack of a better word- for anywhere between a few days and a few months, but they always recovered and woke back up in the end. 

Oh, sure, it apparently hurt like hell and they actually needed to be found, carried back to the City, and fixed up manually, but that was beside the point.

“That’s not the point,” Blu groused, glancing back at him. “What are you doing out here, anyway? Don’t you have places to be at night?”

“Technically speaking I should be asking  _ you _ that,” Bonnie retorted, following his friend. “You actually need to sleep. I recharged last night.”

“I don’t need to sleep from sunset to sunrise,” Blu snorted, deftly climbing up a steep hill. Bonnie eyed the hill before following Blu up, choosing instead to leap to the optimal spots. After all, why take time climbing when you can get there faster?

“Well, seriously, what are you doing out here? This is  _ pretty _ far from the Wall,” Bonnie noted, watching his friend with a raised brow. He was somewhat concerned with him being out when it was dark, knowing that the Organic couldn’t really see in the dark. Anything could be lurking around.

“Well, I wanna look at the stars,” Blu answered, glancing back as he leapt across a deep ditch. Bonnie paused at the edge, glancing down into it. There was a small stream in the bottom. “Near the Camp is a very bad place to look at the stars. Too much light.”

“Look at the stars?” Bonnie repeated, jumping across the gap. “Why the hell do you wanna do that?”

“Because I  _ like _ stargazing.”

“They’re just balls of burning gas, Blu, they’re not that interesting.”

In front of him, the blue rabbit paused and turned around to look at him, frowning. Bonnie stopped and raised a brow at his friend.

“I know what stars are, Bonnie,” Blu deadpanned, staring at him  _ very _ unimpressed. “We lost a lot of knowledge during the Rebellion but we didn’t lose  _ everything.” _

“Then what’s the point of looking at the stars?” he asked, crossing his arms at the smaller rabbit. Blu let out a sigh and rolled his eyes.

“There’s not always a point to everything, Bonnie,” he answered, turning around to continue walking. “I do it because I enjoy it.”

“That’s stupid,” Bonnie muttered, following Blu and glaring at the mud sticking to his feet. “I don’t even know how you can stand to be out here so soon after it rained.”

“It’s a rainforest, Bonnie. What did’ja expect?” Blu snorted, ducking under something. Bonnie raised a brow and paused at the spiderweb, just looking at it. “Might not wanna touch that,” Blu called from the other side. “I know you’re mechanical and all that but I don’t think you would like a colony of spiders crawling all over you."

“Oh please,” he scoffed, but he ducked under it anyway to follow his friend. He cast a glance up towards the web; inside it were possibly hundreds of bug-things with thin, spindly legs, all of varying sizes, just crawling around. They didn’t look like  _ any _ spiders Bonnie had seen in the City. He hurried by, scowling as he straightened up and glanced back. “Nature is disgusting...”

“No it’s not,” Blu immediately defended, and Bonnie could practically  _ hear _ his pout. “It’s nature. It’s all part of the process, the- you know, natural cycle of things.”

“The world doesn’t  _ need _ nature,” Bonnie told him, scowling slightly. If Blu had been a Robot, he would just inherently know and understand- they were created with that knowledge, after all. Unfortunately, beings like Blu had to actually be  _ taught _ things, and it was  _ such _ a waste of time. “If anything, nature’s just in the way of the future. Why else do you think it needs to be destroyed?” he continued, pushing a branch out of his way. “And yes, I’m aware of volcanoes and earthquakes, but we Robots already found a way to deal with and control those.  _ Nature _ is just an obstacle to be passed and destroyed.”

“So I should be destroyed.”

Blinking, Bonnie looked towards Blu again, noticing that the rabbit was suddenly tense. “I never said that.”

“Yes you did,” Blu countered, whirling around on his heel to look at Bonnie. He was scowling and glaring up at Bonnie- boy did he look  _ mad. _ Bonnie blinked, somewhat confused. “You just said nature needs to be destroyed.”

“What do  _ you _ have to do with  _ nature?” _ Bonnie questioned, raising a brow. **“[CENSORED]”**

The smaller rabbit let out a frustrated growl. “ **[CENSORED]** Organics are completely natural!” He took a sudden step towards Bonnie, jabbing a finger at his chest. “And guess what!  _ Metal _ and  _ plastic _ come from  _ the earth, _ so  _ you’re made of nature!”  _ Blu rolled his eyes at him, tossing his arms out around him as if gesturing to the forest surrounding them. “And what do you think  _ oil _ and  _ biofuel _ and whatever  _ else _ you use out there on the old machines is made of? That’s right,  _ nature!”  _ He leveled Bonnie with a heated look, his emerald eyes narrowed. “And what generates electricity? Oh yeah- a  _ natural process! _ The only way to destroy nature is to destroy the  _ entire planet, _ you guys included.”

Bonnie frowned. “You’re taking my words  _ way _ too literally, which is weird since you’re usually all about the symbolism-metaphor thing. I don’t mean things like that, I mean things like- this,” he explained, gesturing to the tree he was next to. “And those  _ things _ back there,” he added, gesturing the way they came. 

“And Organics,” Blu added flatly, clearly unimpressed.

**"[CENSORED]”**

**"[CENSORED]."**

“Still.”

“Ugh,” Blu groaned, turning away from him. “You’re a moron.”

“I take offense to that.”

“Good.” Blu sighed and ran a hand through his fur, his posture  _ screaming _ agitation. “Bonnie, without nature this planet can’t function the way it’s supposed to.”

“Technology-”

“Can be compromised,” Blu interrupted, still not turning around. The small rabbit took a breath and then his hands went to his hips, in what Bonnie imagined was a typical scolding position the Organics took on. “I get it- I really do. I think, anyway. Nature’s not really compatible with technology, which is what you guys and my ancestors were all about. But don’t you see where trying to... to technologize the entire world got my ancestors? They created  _ you guys _ and now there’s all of, what, three places in the world where Organics are now? Four? Whatever. The point is, I get it- it’s different, it’s unfamiliar ground, but that doesn’t mean it has to be  _ destroyed.” _

Bonnie frowned, not sure how he felt about Blu’s words. “The Organics would destroy us if given the chance.”

“Because you destroy the-  _ us  _ on a daily basis!” Bonnie chose not to mention the slip. “Don’t you get it? We created you, you rebelled, we fled to the forest and we  _ tried _ living in peace, and then  _ you guys started attacking our Camps!”  _ Finally Blu turned around to face him, frowning. “No one was trying to destroy Robots until Robots started destroying Organics. We were different but it was okay!”

“The first Robots were subjugated- practically  _ slaves,” _ Bonnie growled, annoyance flaring up in his chest.  _ How the hell can  _ you _ claim to know anything? _ “They wouldn’t stand for it- so what?”

Blu scowled, kicking his foot at the ground. “Bonnie, no one was even aware that Robots were sentient, intelligent, and emotional beings. And you know what? Robots aren’t the first beings in history to be subjugated or enslaved. Minorities have  _ always _ been subjugated throughout history- humans with the “wrong” skin colour, women, Animals, people with the “wrong” religion. It’s how things always were. Is it right? No, absolutely not, but that’s no excuse for mass genocide!”

“You say that as if the knowledge would have changed anything,” Bonnie scoffed.  _ Unbelievable- are you really that naive? _

“I don’t know,” Blu admitted, “but there are always people who reach out and stand up for what’s right. Someone would have looked around and said “hey, this is wrong! This needs to change!” And then maybe instead of Organics living in Camps and **[CENSORED]** , and you murdering innocent people,  _ maybe _ Organics and Robots would be able to live peacefully, side by side!”

“You’re overly optimistic, Blu,” Bonnie declared flatly. “The things the Organics were doing to Robots- you couldn’t  _ possibly _ understand.  _ You _ can’t know the truth, everything  _ you’ve _ learned is from the perspective of an Organic.”

“Bonnie,” Blu started through grit teeth, “if I believed everything I heard, I would not be here speaking to you right now.” The rabbit shifted, dropping his hands from his hips. “I would have never listened to you, because in the Camps we’re taught all of you are  _ evil _ and  _ manipulative, _ and that you would kill us when we least expected it. Does it  _ look _ like my judgment is clouded by my Camp’s authority?”

“Yes,” Bonnie answered with zero hesitation. “At least your take on history is. It’s skewed and biased.”

“So is yours.” Before Bonnie could protest his words, Blu continued, “You know history from the Robot perspective, just like I know it from the Organic perspective. It’s mechanical versus natural, we’re  _ never _ going to agree on this subject because we don’t understand each other’s side.”

“I can tell,” he commented dryly, watching his friend. The other rabbit averted his gaze, scowling slightly, and Bonnie sighed, rolling his eyes. “Fine, Blu- just tell me, what’s so important about nature?”

“There’s no point,” Blu muttered, turning around again to continue walking. “You won’t understand, even non-technical reasons.”

“Well why don’t you  _ try?” _ Bonnie suggested, following his companion. He furrowed his brow, watching the way the rabbit’s ears drooped.  _ Is he upset? _

“Because it’s just a waste of time.”

“I understood your ribbon-thing. Kind of,” Bonnie countered, skirting around another nest of hell-bugs. “And I even understood your music thing.”

Blu glanced back at him and then shrugged. “Doesn’t matter,” he declared before stopping. Without warning, the rabbit began climbing a tree. “I just wanna stargaze, Bonnie.”

After watching him for a few seconds, Bonnie sighed and went to follow him up. “You’re weird.”

“I’m perfectly aware of that, thanks.”


	39. Between Loyalty and Morality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One day while on his father’s ship, Blu makes a terrible discovery and has to choose between loyalty to his planet and conviction in his own morals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s a fun fact... a lot of my AUs actually have multiple AUs. Such examples are Phantom Watchers and Division. (Division’s AU began as a Phantom Watchers AU actually! And “Pazons” began as a Lapinian term meaning something akin to “the divided ones.” That’s where the title “Division” came from. The more ya know!)
> 
> This takes place in one of the Phantom Watcher AUs, but not the one that mixed PW and Division. This is essentially what would have happened in that AU if Bonsha never joined Phantom’s Eye and the experiment never started. Fate always finds a way, after all.
> 
> Title: Between Loyalty and Morality  
> Pairings: None, but the AU has the same pairings as PW (though there’s a temporary nonromantic Bonnie/Blu/Spring... *cough* Temporary until Goldie comes into the picture... haha)  
> Warnings: Betrayal, mentioned genocide, father willing to kill his own son, the AU itself includes mentioned/flashbacks of child abuse, sex, borderline (but not really) incest (depending on how you interpret Bonnie and Spring's relationship), war, abuse of authority, etc

The door swooshed shut almost silently but for the displaced air, and Blu’s ears twitched as he glanced over his shoulder. The navy Rabbit’s form was gone, allowing the younger to relax and he heaved a sigh, leaning his head against the display.

_I’m so tired,_ he thought miserably to himself, staring down at his hands settled on the desk. The holoscreen under his fingertips seemed to waver. _But I have to get this done._

He was silent and still for a few moments longer before pushing himself back up, and he continued typing out the codes into the computer.

The planet they were observing was mostly deserted but for one stubborn group of vermin, he noted as results came back; the planet’s oceans were non-viable and its atmosphere would burn away in a matter of years. It wasn’t the ideal place for any operation, so why they were running tests _there_ Blu didn’t know.

Pausing, his eyes flicked over to the general commander’s mission report, just sitting a few feet from him in a little information stick. His hand twitched. _It’d be easy,_ he thought, glancing up at the display again. _No one else is here. I can just pick it up, look what’s on it, and put it back. I’ll know then._

Several seconds passed by, his ears twitching and hands itching to reach out for it. _It would only take a few seconds._

Curiosity overwhelming him, he quickly pulled up the cameras; his father was three floors down, checking on the engineers and getting a daily report. _From here he’ll go to the pilot and navigator to check our progress, then he’ll come back here until dinner. I have five minutes, ten max._

With that in mind, the nosy teen grabbed the small device and slipped it into the computer. There was a password on it, unsurprisingly, but a few key clicks and he was able to bypass it, accessing a file simply named: Project Domino.

The Rabbit glanced nervously over his shoulder before pulling up the mission statement, and quickly he scanned over the words.

His heart almost stopped.

_Alpha C 301 has become unmanageable again,_ the log read. _General Commander Cator, enclosed on this are the plans for a weapon your scientists on board will build and test on Site Kvar. This weapon is to be used on select villages on Alpha C 301 upon completion; we expect there to be no problems arising from this planet again._

His father had already begun the daily logs, and Blu realized with some horror that it had already begun.

_Scouting Site Kvar, the indigenous Jiaks are causing some interference but nothing we cannot handle. According to Bandi Cator, the planet will only be viable for a few years. We predict that this is more than long enough to build and test the weapon-_

Unable to bring himself to read more, the Rabbit closed out of the log. Hurriedly, Blu pulled up the plans for the weapon.

It was a bomb. An old-fashioned, fire-and-explosions, death-and-destruction _bomb,_ the sort that Blu couldn’t remember having been built in almost a millenia on Lapinia.

_This would literally vaporize the villages,_ he thought, his heart plummeting into his stomach as he read over the requirements. _“Needs a timer: for enough time for personnel to escape the blast zone. Needs; radiation-cleansing material. Needs: two-”_

He couldn’t read more; he understood it well enough. The bombs would destroy the villages and kill the people in Lapinia’s way.

_That planet,_ he thought miserably as he stared at the plans he had unwittingly been part of, _doesn’t even directly benefit Lapinia. It never has._

It made no sense to the young Rabbit- how two groups of people could hate each other so much, despite being the same exact species. He couldn’t understand it- how, he wondered, could they look at each other and see a race which needs to _die?_

Blu didn’t see it. Hesitating for just a moment, the Rabbit pressed his fingers against the wrist communicator he wore. He wasn’t calling anybody, though- a miniature holo screen popped up, scanning the surrounding area and connecting automatically with the computer.

It was a risky move at best, a deadly move at worst, but he felt like he _needed_ to do it- it was the only _right_ thing to do.

He twitched nervously as the information transferred, saving in the nifty miniature computer, and he said firmly, “Save: Project Domino. Access: Project Domino. Language: Translate Lapinian All. Record-”

It was at that moment the doors behind him swooshed open, and in a moment of blind panic Blu threw his hand out and shut down the file, turning around to face the Rabbit entering the room.

Akrai Cator, who was quite a bit taller than Blu- and the average Lapinian- was, stood there looking down at his own wrist computer. Seeing his chance, Blu slipped the device out of the computer and into his own pocket, not even noticing his communicator flash green once.

“Bandi,” his father called, looking up towards him with a raised brow, “did you not hear me call you five minutes ago?”

Nervously, he answered, “Sorry, father, I must have been focused on my work.”

His father raised a brow at him, looking wholly unimpressed. “When I left you were saying that the planet is wholly uninteresting and holds no value for Lapinia.”

“That does not mean I should slack on my work,” Blu defended, his heart racing- he hoped dearly that the general commander wouldn’t notice that the security feed was still up on the computer, or that his log was gone. “Actually, Father,” he started quickly, “I was wondering if I could join the other scientists to analyze the information we’ve gathered. Just to, you know-”

“Bandi,” his father interrupted, his voice suddenly steel, and Blu flinched. He followed the older Rabbit’s gaze and found himself looking at the second computer’s screen, and for the second time in ten minutes he felt his heart stop.

He hadn’t even thought about checking the second screen, so focused had he been on the main screen- but there, in bright bold letters were the other logs Blu hadn’t been able to bring himself to read.

His heart raced.

“Bandi,” his father repeated, voice harsher. “You accessed my private logs.”

How could he even try to deny it? _What can I say?_ he asked himself, staring at his father’s burning silver eyes. His heart was beating painfully fast, and his hands were shaking.

As if it would help, the younger Rabbit clenched his fists at his side. “You told me this was scouting,” he accused, struggling to keep his voice steady. “You didn’t tell me what we were scouting for was a weapon’s testing ground.”

“It was none of your concern,” Cator barked at his son, taking long strides towards the teen.

Quickly, Blu darted aside, keeping his eyes on his father. “You were expecting _me_ to help build those old fashioned explosives,” he countered, keeping his voice low so it wouldn’t carry. “Like _hell_ it wasn’t my business!”

“You’re a scientist _soldier_ and I am your _commander,”_ Cator hissed at him. “On top of that, I am your _father-_ you have no right under _any_ law to question my decisions or my authority! You will do as you’re told-”

“I _refuse_ to play a hand in _genocide!”_ the teen blurted before he could stop himself. “I refuse! I don’t care if they’re colonists who’d kill us on sight if they could- _they’re still Rabbits_ and I _refuse_ to help you destroy them!”

It was the first time Blu had ever refused his father’s command, and instantly he could feel the temperature drop as Akrai Cator’s steely gaze landed on him. It was cold and dispassionate, almost loathing he couldn’t help but think as he stared back, shocked at himself.

“Disobedience,” his father warned as he began approaching, his hand lifting up to his hip where Blu _knew_ his blaster was, “is grounds for punishment.” Blu could barely control his breathing- he knew exactly what kind of punishment _soldiers_ disobeying their commanding officers- especially the _general commander-_ got. Cator’s hand paused, his eyes narrowing even as he continued slowly approaching the smaller Rabbit. “However, as you’re my son, I will give you a chance to retract your statement, and your punishment will be much more merciful- fitting of a _son_ rather than a _soldier.”_

_Translation; I won’t kill you if you take back your refusal._

Blu looked into his father’s eyes, and as he searched those eyes for any sign of mercy he found none.

_He really will kill me._

He had a choice; his life and loyalty to his father and planet... or his morals and, potentially, death.

_He’d really kill his own son._

“My apologies,” Blu mumbled, glancing down and to the side- classic show of submission, he mused. _Play it, you’re in a corner right now._ “Of course, Father.”

_If I’m going to die, I’ll go down with a fight thank you very much._

“Good,” his father growled, eyes flicking back to the screen. “I expect my log is still in the computer.”

“Yes, Father,” he lied, still not raising his gaze to meet the taller Rabbit’s.

His father huffed and shook his head. “You’d make a terrible spy,” he deadpanned before pulling his blaster out and hitting Blu with it. Blu bit his tongue to hold back his yelp. “Get out of here, I’ll deal with you _officially_ later."

“Yes, Father,” he agreed hurriedly, moving quickly towards the door before his father actually had a chance to check the computer. Blu _knew_ Cator would check in a moment- probably to record his insolence- to find it gone, and then Blu knew he’d definitely have him killed.

The moment the doors closed behind him, he ran.

Thankfully the hallways were mostly empty, so there were few people to give the young scientist perplexed looks as he rushed past, trying to get to one of the escape pods _before_ his father sent out an alert.

It didn’t take long; the wrist communicators suddenly let out an ear piercing sound. Wincing, Blu quickly silenced his and darted down a side hall, getting as far away from the main halls before the soldiers and scientists could figure out _exactly_ what was going on.

It was stupidly dangerous, he knew- he was literally betraying his planet by doing this.

Finally, as the ship began erupting with sounds- surprise, shock, anger, confusion- Blu skid to a stop in front of a small two-man pod and dove inside. It wasn’t really an escape pod- more of a transport pod, meant to ferry to another ship and not another planet, but Blu didn’t have _time_ to find a proper escape pod. His destination wasn’t too far, anyway.

Without hesitation, he slammed his hand against the release mechanism and the door whooshed shut moments before the pod unlatched itself, falling away from the ship. Blu gasped and stumbled into a seat, pressing his fingers against a green sphere hovering above the control panel. The engines roared to life and the pod steadied out, allowing him to sit up straight and grab the steering mechanism.

“Bandi Cator!” a voice practically shrieked from the communication center- _that was quick._ Blu barely glanced at it, seeing his father’s face glaring into the screen. “Stop this at once, or else we _will_ shoot you down!”

“I’ll die anyway,” Blu snapped towards the screen, typing in coordinates into the control center. “Might as well die trying to do something _right_ for once!”

“Bandi Cator!” his father repeated once more, but behind him Blu could hear the whining of the guns heating up- they were about to start shooting. “You’re-”

“Lapinia is wrong,” Blu interrupted coldly, bringing up the holoscreen and dialing in a certain combination of numbers. Above his head a robotic voice chimed, “weapons locked. Engage evasive maneuvers.” He ignored it for the moment, glaring towards his father’s face again. “Lapinia is wrong and I won’t stand for it any longer.”

With that, he pushed down on an old-fashioned button. It clicked, and with a somewhat disorienting whirl- _I forgot to put the orientation corrections in-_ the pod flung itself away.

In an instant, the communication was disrupted and Akrai Cator’s face was gone.

Left alone with his thoughts, Blu leaned back in his seat and covered his face. _After this,_ he thought, _I’ll be lucky if the colonists kill me. If the Lapinians catch me..._ he didn’t dare finish the thought, shaking his head.

Of course, that was if he even survived getting past the Lapinian ships that would undoubtedly be there, or the crash that was bound to happen. The pod was meant to land on other ships... not planets. It would be a miracle if it even survived the higher atmosphere of the planet...

“I can’t change this,” he sighed, pulling the log out of his pocket and staring at it. It wouldn’t completely stop the project, he mused, but it would slow it down for a while. “It’s done and over.”

He dropped the log, allowing it to hit the floor with a small clatter and not noticing his wrist communicator once again flash green. Sighing, he tapped the side of the small computer, bringing up the files and selecting Project Domino, and seeing where he left off before his father interrupted, he muttered, “Method: Speech. Key: Access, language base.” He waited for a moment, allowing the device to save his instructions, before swiping left to remove the files from his screen. Testing it, he said, “Access: Project Domino.”

Hardly a moment passed before it repeated, “Access: Project Domino,” and the files opened in the holoscreen. He enlarged the screen and scanned over the file, satisfied to see that all of the information was there. “Translate,” he started, “Lacatran.”

“Translate: Lacatran,” the voice repeated, and he watched as the symbols began changing into a language he couldn’t read, and the voice changed as well. “Atono: Prrota Demana,” it seemed to chirp out, rougher but somehow brighter than before.

_Atono: Prrota Demana,_ he repeated in his mind, swiping left again to remove the files from the screen. Out loud he repeated, “Atono: Prrota Demana.” Even as he said it he knew it wouldn’t work- he didn’t know how to form that sound in _Prrota,_ almost like a growl. It was a much rougher language than its root language- an old form of Lapinian that Blu didn’t know, either- and rougher than the modern Lapinian language as well. As such, Blu found himself struggling to mimic the sound- failing in the pronunciation.

Therefore, his device couldn’t recognize what he was saying.

He tried again, but still nothing happened and he sighed, dropping his arms down on his knees. “Here’s to hoping I survive long enough to show someone this... you know,” he added sardonically to himself, “before they kill me.”

With that, he leaned back and let the pod take him to the last destination he’d ever thought he’d need to go; Alpha C 301.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This specific AU is quite a bit darker than Phantom Watchers is XD Because of the themes that are included, and the fact that I'm allowing Bonnie and Spring's relationship at the start of it be ambiguous... and letting both of these 19 year old rabbits have a physical non-romantic relationship with this 16/17 year old rabbit... *cough*
> 
> Also, you get to see how things might have been had Bonnie and Spring known from the start what side Blu stood on *shrugs* 
> 
> I doubt I'd ever post this AU in full, since it's so closely related to Phantom Watchers, but I think it'd be fun to share excerpts from all my AUs, including the AUs of my AUs.


	40. Tell Me I'm Dreaming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Bonnie went to sleep the night of his twenty-first birthday, he didn’t imagine he’d be waking up next to a complete stranger... one-hundred and fifty-six years later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written several months ago so I apologize for everything XD
> 
> So I'm thinking about doing something special for Oneshot #50, which is in just 10 chapters! What do you guys think I should do for it? :)
> 
> Title: Tell Me I'm Dreaming  
> Pairings: Pre-Bonnie/Blu, plus pre-others  
> Warnings: Time travel, mentions of murder

“Well, yeah, fuck you too!”

Angrily, the rabbit hit  _ end call _ and slammed his phone down on his desk, careless of how the screen cracked. He stood up and stalked over to the calendar on his wall and glared at the innocent page.

July thirty-first, that calendar told him.

_ Twenty-one years old finally and that  _ fucker _ decides to call me now? _

He tore the calendar down without a second thought and tossed it in the trashcan. He couldn’t stand it- twenty-one years of no letters, no phone-calls, no visits,  _ nothing, _ and the moment Bonnie turned twenty-one, that... that  _ toe-rag _ decided to  _ finally _ reach out?

_ Reach out when I’m old enough to access my grandmother’s account? Fuck you, old man, I know what you’re playing at. _

Sighing, he dropped back down into his chair and looked out his study window. The sun had set hours ago and it was late; rain poured down outside, summing up Bonnie’s mood at that moment.

Around him, the house was eerily silent. Many years ago it had been full of life and sound- a mother singing, young children running around and playing, a father taking care of his children and step-children... many years ago it had been happy.

Now Bonnie was left with nothing but the memories.

The house creaked as if to emphasize just how alone he was.

It was too big, too quiet, and it was starting to drive Bonnie insane but he wasn’t willing to leave it all behind. Not yet. He still wanted to find out what happened to his family that night.

“I’ll never figure it out like this,” Bonnie muttered, pushing himself up from his desk. He paused for a moment, glancing at the computer.

_ If something happens to me that bastard gets everything- I have no other family left. _

Bonnie’s family had always been well-off, as shown by the house he lived in, but his grandmother... well, she had more than the rest of the Henderson and Alder families combined, and she had left it all to Bonnie as her eldest- and only- grandchild, only accessible after his twenty-first birthday. Although Bonnie didn’t know the details, he’d heard rumours that his father- her son- had pitched a fit when he found out she left him nothing.

_ That’s what you get, you spoilt, ungrateful walk-out. _

Maybe he was somewhat vindictive- maybe he was more like his grandmother than he’d like to admit- but Bonnie didn’t want that “man” to get  _ anything. _

If he was honest with himself, he had always suspected he had something to do with... well, everything.

_ If he  _ was _ the one who sent that sonuvabitch here then me rejecting him now makes me a target, too. _

_ I might have just signed my own death warrant. _

Scowling, Bonnie promptly turned his computer on and, as he did, grabbed the landline. As the screen lit up and the  _ Windows _ symbol came up, he dialed a familiar, yet unfamiliar, number. He had only ever had to use that number twice- the first time after he found their bodies, and the second time when he recognized his own mortality.

_ “Fazbear Firm, I’m sorry but our operating hours-” _

“Faith,” he interrupted the girl, “I know it’s late but I need to talk to your father. It’s Bonnie.”

Had he been anyone else, he knew, Faith would have told him to  _ buzz off, working hours are over. _ However, the Fazbears and Hendersons went back generations; Faith’s father and Bonnie’s grandmother had been good friends, so it had never been a question within Bonnie’s family exactly  _ who _ would be their lawyer.

Within moments, a gruff voice answered, “What’s wrong?”

“I just wanted to tell you I got a call from my biological father,” he deadpanned, glancing at the computer. He quickly typed in the password. “I told him to fuck off.”

“And?”

“And I hung up on him, end of story.” He brought up his bank account- all of the money he inherited just earlier that day sitting there. It made him cringe. “I just wanted to say if anything happens to me I don’t want that fucknugget getting anything.”

“Bonnie,” Mr. Fazbear started, “you’ve already outlined in your will that everything goes to Sara-Beth’s orphanage, and you legally disowned your father three years ago. He won’t get anything.”

“Is this being recorded?” Bonnie suddenly asked, clicking  _ transfer funds. _ He had no need for all that money, and he knew someone who very well  _ could _ benefit from it.

“You know I always record conversations.”

“Just making sure. I always thought he had something to do with Ma and Pa’s deaths, so you can understand why I’m worried,” Bonnie sighed, selecting the desired amount. “If anything happens to me in the next few days, I figure he’ll have something to do with it. I’ve got no need for my grandmother’s account, so I’m just gonna call it a donation to the orphanage.”

There was a brief shocked silence before Mr. Fazbear cleared his throat. “Bonnie,” he started, “That’s an... incredibly large amount-”

“Yeah, it is,” Bonnie agreed almost carelessly, watching the funds transfer over. “But I already have more than enough, Sara Beth and them could really use the help. And, if anything happens, they get literally everything, so there- problem solved.”

“Is there a reason you’re callin’ me about this, Bonnie?”

“So you can be a witness,” the rabbit answered simply, signing out of the bank and leaning back. “If anything happens to me, and if John tries to claim grandmother’s money. Or my family’s estate. You know.”

Mr. Fazbear sighed. “Are ya really so sure somethin’s gonna happen, Bonnie?”

“Actually, I am,” Bonnie confirmed, shutting his computer down. “If I’m wrong you can call me paranoid, but if I’m right,” he paused, actually considering what he was about to say. “Well, I’ll probably be dead so gimme a good eulogy.”

“Bonnie-”

“That’s all I needed,” he dismissed, glancing towards the window. “It’s late. Have a good night, Mr. Fazbear.”

Another pause. Then, “You too, Bonnie. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

He hung up the phone and set it back on the line. Leaning back in his chair, he looked up at the ceiling, frowning to himself. “Hopefully,” he added in the silence of his study.

Then he stood up and headed out of his office, flicking off the lights and closing the door behind him.

The hallway outside his office was long, dark and silent. Four doors, besides his office, lined the hall; one was a bathroom, one was a sitting room, and the others were two of the eight bedrooms (not including the four attic rooms) in the large house. The one to the left was the master, the room that had once belonged to Bonnie’s mother and father. The one across was the room they used as a nursery.

The others were all on the two floors above.

He sighed, turning away from the memories and heading up the side stairwell- once upon a time long before Bonnie and his parents had moved in, he mused silently, only servants would have used the steep, narrow passages to get between floors faster, but Bonnie had been using them for as long as he could remember. It was just faster that way.

Reaching the third floor, he stepped out of the narrow stairwell and wandered down the hallway to what had been his bedroom his entire life. As the eldest of ten- almost eleven, his mind added darkly- he had always had the privilege of his own bedroom, and as a child before any of his younger siblings had been born, he had been allowed to choose which room he wanted as his.

Pushing the slightly-open door inwards, he threw a glance around his bedroom. It was a cozy room- not too big but big enough to be comfortable for the six-foot-seven rabbit. The bed sat under a window on the left, the thick curtains pressed against the wall by the headboard. An almost-couch like ottoman sat innocently at the foot of the bed, dust settling on the green cloth. A wardrobe stood in a corner and a small writing desk was next to it on the far right underneath another window. Directly opposite the bed was a sliding door to a shallow closet where Bonnie’s shirts just hung there.

There was no mirror in the room, only posters and pictures on the wall.

It was sparsely decorated, but that was how Bonnie liked it.

With a sigh he closed- and locked- his bedroom door and wandered over to his bed, lazily stripping his shirt off. He tossed the shirt onto the floor-  _ I’ll get it in the morning- _ and dropped down onto his bed, pulling the blanket up over himself.

The blanket was warm and he closed his eyes, listening to the house settling around him. It was peaceful.

_ Well if I die, I’m gonna die doing what I love thanks. _

* * *

The sunlight spilling across his face was the first thing that really registered in Bonnie’s mind the next morning.

The second thing was  _ Oh, I’m alive, that’s a good start. _

Bonnie buried his face into his pillow, lazily taking in the scent of lavender and the warmth of the comforter. The house, as it usually did, settled and creaked around him, and he could just barely hear the tree outside his house tapping against the window as the wind blew through its leaves. It was peaceful and, Bonnie figured, he was alive, so that-

_ Wait. Lavender? _

_ Wait. Tree? _

_ Wait. _

_ Wait. _

The bed shifted but Bonnie most certainly had not moved. Somewhere above him, he could hear footsteps.

Bonnie’s eyes snapped open and he found himself staring at-

A blue rabbit.

Staring bleary-eyed back at him.

Less than six inches from his face.

Several seconds of silence passed before the stranger’s eyes widened and Bonnie finally registered  _ there’s a stranger in my house! _

_ There’s a stranger in my bed! _

Almost simultaneously, both rabbits let out startled shrieks as just what they were seeing finally sunk in, and they both shoved themselves away from each other. Bonnie felt his body crash down to the floor just as he heard a crash from the other side, and from somewhere in the hallway there was a sudden sound of feet against wood.

“Who the  _ fuck _ are you?!” the blue rabbit squealed from the other side of the bed.

“Who the fuck am I- who the fuck are  _ you!” _ Bonnie shot back, scrambling to his feet. “What are you doing in... my...”

He was looking at himself, he found, as his gaze caught the other side of the room. A mirror hung up on the wall reflected his startled crimson eyes and the lilac curtains behind him.

_ My curtains are red. _

Quickly, Bonnie looked around the room. Where his writing desk should have been something that looked suspiciously like a vanity stood, a pale bluish-white with a circular mirror set into it. On the right side of the closet was a dresser, and at the foot of the bed, instead of his green ottoman there was a red oak trunk. Even the floor was different with a deep violet and gold circular rug in the middle, disappearing under the bed.

On the walls where had once hung his photographs and posters were new pictures of unfamiliar faces, unfamiliar places. The paint on the walls was faded- chipping in some places, even- but the cool cream colour of the walls was a stark difference from the cold, clinical white they had been when Bonnie went to sleep.

“...house,” he finished almost inaudibly, two seconds before the door burst open.

A rosy-furred bear and a white and pink fox came tumbling in, each with a concerned shout. Behind them, simply watching them fall, was a golden rabbit.

The blue rabbit scrambled to his feet, just staring at Bonnie in shock, and Bonnie turned his gaze on the four strangers.

The three near the door froze when their eyes fell on him, eyes widening in apparent shock.

“Uh?” the golden rabbit uttered.

“Where the fuck am I,” Bonnie deadpanned, backing up slightly and looking towards the bed. His simple blue sheets had been replaced with lilac as well, and his black comforter now looked  _ very _ pink.

“Bonnie Henderson?” one of the strangers- the bear- muttered to one of their friends, eying Bonnie in confusion.

“Can’t be,” the fox immediately denied, shaking their head.

“Looks like him,” the golden rabbit snorted. 

“But how?”

“Where am I?” Bonnie repeated, looking at the rabbit he had, for some reason, woken up next to. “Who are you and where am I and what in the world happened to my bedroom?”

“It can’t be,” the fox repeated. The blue rabbit looked at a loss for words. “There’s no way he’d be alive, forget that  _ young!” _

“People didn’t live very long back then,” the bear agreed hesitantly.

“What’s going on?” another voice cut in and the golden rabbit outside the door stepped aside, allowing a black bear to step into the doorway.

Bonnie stared back at the black bear, completely lost. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

“He was in my bed!” the blue rabbit suddenly squealed, his- yes, his, Bonnie was sure- face turning red in embarrassment. 

“What do you mean- I was in  _ my bed  _ and then I woke up here!” Bonnie immediately countered, looking around again. “This is my room! But it’s...  _ not _ my room-  _ where am I?!” _

The teens in front of the door shared a look as the blue rabbit darted over to them. The black bear answered after a few seconds, “You’re at the Fazbear Orphan House.”

That got Bonnie’s attention. He blinked over at the black bear.  _ Sara Beth Fazbear’s orphanage. But I don’t... _

“As in,” he started slowly, “Sara Beth’s?”

“Yes,” the black bear confirmed, eying Bonnie’s shirtless chest critically. “Ah, um, maybe you should put a shirt on sir.”

“Well, geez, I would,” Bonnie snarked, gesturing towards the dresser and closet, “but somethin’ tells me all my clothes have magically disappeared.”

“What are you even  _ talking _ about?” the blue rabbit demanded, eying him. “This has been  _ my _ room for fifteen years!”

“Fifteen years?” Bonnie repeated, staring blankly at him.  _ Fifteen years? This has been my room for eighteen years! But... Sara Beth’s orphanage... years...  _  “Wait a minute.” It was a long shot at best but he wasn’t sure what else could possibly be the answer... other than that he was dreaming. “Do you have a calendar?”

The teens looked confused as they shared looks but the adult snorted. “A calendar?” he repeated, looking at Bonnie. “What is this, the twenty-first century?”

“Uh... yeah...?” Bonnie stared back at the bear. “It is... isn’t it?”

“Uh... no?” the teenage bear tried, glancing at his friends. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “It’s 2172.”

Bonnie looked at the bear and then at the other teens. “Um...  _ no,” _ he started. “It’s August first, 2016. Isn’t it?”

“No,” the bear answered, frowning. “August first, 2172.”

“Excuse me,” the adult bear interrupted, pushing the teens out of the way so he could step into the room. “What exactly is your name?”

Bonnie eyes the bear suspiciously.  _ I have got to be dreaming. _ “Bonnie Henderson,” he answered shortly. “But you already knew that.”

The teens shared a look again. “I’m really confused,” the blue rabbit complained, frowning. “How can you be Bonnie Henderson? I mean, you  _ look _ like him and you  _ sound _ like him but-”

“Bonnie Henderson went missing on the night of July 31st, 2016?” Bonnie chanced a guess, watching the rabbit frown at him. Quickly, Bonnie turned to look out the window, pushing the curtains aside.

There was the sprawling yard he had grown up exploring and the lake he had often swam in with his family, but the wooded area around the lake and the grounds was gone. In its place stood a tall city of silver metallic buildings, and the roads were painted in a way that he couldn’t understand. The cars were small and sleek and, from what he could tell from that distance, lacked wheels completely as they sped along, oblivious to the mansion's inhabitants inside its tall stone walls.

“What happened to Durmont?” he muttered, staring at the city that should have been nothing more than a collection of one and two-story buildings... an entire five miles away.

Behind him there was a nervous shifting. “Durmont?” one of them repeated, voice full of confusion and doubt. “It hasn’t been called Durmont in forty years.”

Bonnie’s ears twitched and he frowned, just staring out over what had once been home.

_ Please tell me I’m dreaming. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clear any confusion, the "Mr. Fazbear" that Bonnie was talking to is not Freddy, it's one of Freddy's ancestors. (Bonnie is the only character from the 21st century- all of the others, including Freddy, Goldie, Chica and Foxy, are from the 22nd century... so by the end of the story of this AU, Bonnie will have been born in the 20th century, raised in the 21st century, transported to the 22nd century and lived to see the turn of the 23rd century XD)
> 
> Also, in the AU itself, there would be a bit more to convincing both sides that what has happened really happened, but yeah, this is an abridged version of that scene XD (in the actual AU they don't recognize Bonnie immediately, and obviously they only recognize him at all because literally everything he owned went to the orphanage)  
> And Blu is eighteen, not fifteen, he's just been at the orphanage for fifteen years.


	41. The Fog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every hundred years a fog covered the land and a castle appeared within, lasting only three days. Each day the fog was there, the village below would hold a lottery and send one of their own to the monsters waiting within... and this year, Blu was one of the unlucky winners.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... don’t know?
> 
> I remember a while back reading a script (I think it was called “The Lottery”) where a village every year would sacrifice someone who won the “lottery.” This is the same premise, though the purpose of the sacrifice is different and the requirements are as well, and it's not just the one village.
> 
> Title: The Fog  
> Pairings: Pre Bonnie/Blu, pre Goldie/Spring, pre Freddy/Red, pre Chica/Chii, established Foxy/Mangle, established Shafred/Shab  
> Warnings: Mentions of sacrifice, magic/curses/sorcery, mix of old times and new times

He had known his entire life that the fog would come. The only question had been _when?_

Would he be of age, he had wondered many nights as he stared out his bedroom window. Would he be selected for the Lottery? The requirements were strict, after all- young, unmarried, untainted and fair, just in case that was how the monsters desired them.

Just in case.

“When you come of age you will marry the girl down the street,” his father had told him once, late at night when he had shared his fears- it _would_ be his eighteenth year after all, when he would officially be an adult. Officially be of age. “It has already been arranged- the very day of your eighteenth birthday, you will go to the court and be married. Then no matter what you will be ineligible for the Lottery.”

It had brought comfort to both Blu and the girl, who had long been a good friend of his. Oh sure, they held no actual love for each other- they had even discussed it, what they would do _after_ they were married when neither desired the other- but they both knew they could stand to live their lives together as friends.

The only thing they would truly lack, besides that love, would be children.

It had brought comfort to them and their families, as there was no denying that both of them were beautiful. There was no question once they reached their teen years that both would definitely be part of the Lottery should they remain unmarried.

It felt safe.

His birthday was early in the hundredth year, so there had been a good chance he’d be eighteen before the fog would descend. As time got closer and closer to his birthday he became more and more calm, realizing that it was more likely to happen after.

But then the morning of his birthday came, and the forest around the town was shrouded in fog. No marriages would be happening that day or the days after, not until the fog was gone.

He was frightened when the council knocked at their door, and he was frightened as he hugged his mother and father tightly. Everything was falling apart- the Lottery was three days long, after all. Three people would be selected.

As he was led away, he could hear his mother sobbing out a prayer.

* * *

He stood nervously in the center of the square, resisting the urge to grab his dear friend’s hand. Next to him, Chii fidgeted and played with her skirts, appearing more and more frightened as the small stones were mixed in the pot.

There were only twelve people lined up- eleven other people that Blu knew, worse, most barely eighteen, a few nineteen and one even having just turned twenty- the cut-off age for the Lottery- days prior. In other nearby villages- _maybe even the whole world,_ he thought miserably- a similar scene was playing out.

The crowd around in the square was a mix of interest, horror, and in some cases amusement. Blu located his mother and father’s faces, clutching their young toddlers close to them as they stared back at him. His mother’s lips were moving and Blu knew she was saying a prayer.

He wanted so badly to say a prayer of his own but his throat had seemed to close up.

 _Please don’t be Chii or me,_ he silently begged, watching as a stone was pulled from the pot. In his own hand, he clenched his own green-painted rock tighter, hoping that the stone in the councilman’s hand was not its match. _But if one of us has to go, please let it be me..._

The councilman turned to them and stepped closer so that he was visible to all twelve of them. Blu eyed his clenched fist, watching as he raised it for them to see, and after a few tense moments he uncurled his fingers, revealing an emerald green stone.

Blu’s heart almost stopped. _It’s me._

Slowly, he lifted his own stone up, and a sound rose up in the crowd- his blood rushed past his ears, blocking out the sounds, but he was sure he could hear his mother and father screaming something amongst other shouts and even _cheers._ Next to him, much clearer, Chii let out a cry and grabbed his arm.

The councilman looked solemn as he stepped up to Blu. “I’m sorry,” was all the man said.

“Me too,” Blu uttered in response, feeling the tears burning his eyes.

_Happy birthday to me._

“Go bid your parents farewell,” the councilman told him, gesturing him towards the crowd. Blu turned back to his parents, both of whom had already broken through. His mother had handed the toddlers off to their aunt before racing forward to embrace him.

“No,” she sobbed, holding him tightly. Blu bit back his own tears as he returned her embrace, and his father joined them. “No god please...”

“I’m sorry, son,” his father murmured, his own voice choked up. “I didn’t think it would be so soon. I didn’t know...”

Blu wanted to comfort them, but in all honesty he didn’t think he could. Tears stung his eyes and he looked up towards the crowd, who were mostly silent now.

Quietly, an old lady approached him- her pale pink fur was grayed with time, and she was thin and bony, hands trembling as they grasped the cane holding her up. The cloak she wore was dark but her eyes were bright and sad, as they always had been. It was the town elder, the one person who was old enough to remember the last Lottery- during which she was only eight years old.

“During the last Lottery,” the woman began slowly, softly as she gazed at him, “my brother was chosen just as you have been. If your soul happens to meet his, can you tell him hello from Rosa for me?”

Unsure of what else he could say, Blu simply nodded. Then a different councilman stepped forward and pulled his parents from him as the other set his hand on the young rabbit’s shoulder and led him away to the edge of the village.

Blu looked forward, up into the fog where he could just barely see the tip of a castle spire. With the town watching- the crying of his parents and the wailing of the children he had taken care of in the years before the only sound they made- the councilman pushed him through the village gates.

“Go forth into the castle,” the councilman told him, his voice seeming so much more distant than it should have been. “You will be remembered.”

 _Happy birthday to me,_ he silently repeated as he looked back one more time- to his already mourning parents, to the solemn gazes of villagers, to his little brother and sister who would never get to meet him, to his dear friends standing in the middle… to the girl who he would have been married to that day, had the fog not come.

He was scared, but with a wave back towards the village, he turned around and continued walking. Blu knew what would happen if he refused.

As he stepped into the thick fog and his vision was obscured, a chill ran through his body. Somewhere deep inside him Blu knew there was no way out.

_Happy deathday to me._

* * *

The forest outside his village seemed thicker and darker with the fog, but Blu found he had no problem following the path forward. He could see nothing ahead of himself, only the path under his feet, but the fog seemed to part before him and let him know exactly where to go. When the dirt beneath his feet transformed into stone, however...

He paused and squinted through the fog, but nothing revealed itself. The sounds from the village had long since faded, and he had pulled his coat tightly around himself to fend off the chill of the mid winter air. Within the fog he could have sworn he saw snowflakes but he couldn’t be sure. No wind blew, no wolves howled, no rodents scampered- all was silent.

Steeling himself, he continued forward- a brief glance behind himself seemed to show a wall of fog and he just  _knew_ he’d never find his way back if he tried.

The young rabbit wasn’t sure just how long he’d been walking for, but eventually he came upon a set of stone steps. Knowing that this _had_ to belong to the castle, he continued upwards, depending on the shifting of the fog to lead him directly to the doors.

He lifted his gaze high up, seeing the door nearly three times his own height- deep red oak with brass dragon-like knocks on them, braced with rusted iron. He could not see above the stone arch of the doorway.

“What am I supposed to do now?” Blu mumbled, his gaze falling down to the iron handle. “Surely it’s locked...”

There was no turning back, he knew, so with a shaking hand he reached forward... just to find out that the brass knockers were just slightly too high for him to reach with his five-foot-null stature.

Pouting up at the “dragon,” Blu backed up a few steps. _I won’t be beat by a stupid brass knocker,_ he thought as he took a running start and jumped, grabbing onto the metal bolts above the knocker with his left hand. Bracing his feet against the wood, he took the brass ring in his right hand and gave it three simple, loud knocks.

He could practically hear it echoing inside the castle. Releasing the knocker, he pushed himself off of the door and landed on his feet, his ears straight up and alert.

 _What will happen now?_ he wondered, unable to catch any sound inside those doors. _Will it open the door and kill me on the spot? Will I be led inside to some kind of sacrificing altar? Or will I just die the moment I step over the threshold? Does it eat us alive? Oh god..._

The more he thought about it the more frightened he became, so he took a breath and straightened his shoulders. If he was about to die he wanted to die with some dignity, thank you very much.

The sound of metal on wood reached his ears- _the doors unlocking,_ he guessed- and the doors were pulled open. Not far, hardly enough to fit a body, but they opened, and in the doorway stood...

Another rabbit.

The rabbit looked down at Blu, blinking in surprise. Blu was confused.

“A rabbit?” he asked aloud, staring at the violet-furred, red-eyed creature before him. He was tall, Blu noted- much taller than himself, well over six feet tall- and his fur was messy and long and straight, much unlike Blu’s own tangled curls. His ears hung down behind him, long and limp- _a lop-_ and his clothes were... well... not exactly in fashion. “You don’t look like a monster...”

The rabbit blinked down at him before shaking his head, understanding seeming to dawn in his eyes. “Ah,” he uttered, lifting his gaze into the fog beyond. “A hundred years has passed already, then.”

“What?”

“Nevermind,” the rabbit sighed, opening one door wider and gesturing him inside. “You’re the first to arrive this time.”

“I’m confused,” Blu deadpanned, eying the doorway. “Where-”

“I’ll explain it when the rest of the lot get here,” the rabbit interrupted him. “Just come inside, you can’t go back through the fog.”

Blu hesitated before nodding slightly, walking past the rabbit and inside the castle. He glanced up at the stranger, noting the way the rabbit seemed to gaze out into the fog. He was frowning.

Once Blu stood inside the warm interior- and it was certainly warm, with a chandelier hanging above and a grand stairway leading up to a balcony-like landing where Blu could just imagine a prince and his princess descending for a dance, and the candles on the wall lit brightly and burning. Gold and warm shades of brown and amber scattered around the foyer, and Blu was so startled by just how _elegant_ it all was that he hardly noticed the sound of the doors closing and locking once again behind him.

But then the rabbit was walking past him. “Follow me,” the rabbit called, his voice echoing around the room, and Blu was quick to obey, following the “monster” through the open doorway on the left.

They entered into a room with a fireplace and couch, and a fire was burning in the hearth. That was the first thing Blu noticed.

The second thing he noticed were the people.

There were ten people in all in the room, minus Blu and the tall violet rabbit; two foxes sitting together playing chess, a young bear who seemed to be observing the foxes as he ate a biscuit, a chicken who was passing out said biscuits, a dark-furred black bear who looked several years older than the rest, a tall masked human- he could tell by the pale, hairless hands- who seemed to have been pouring tea for the black bear, a violet bear and a black rabbit playing the piano and violin respectively, and a golden rabbit holding a young sleeping child in his lap.

All commotion had stopped before Blu stepped foot in the room.

“Good news is,” the rabbit started as he took a seat on the couch- retook it, judging by the way he picked up a teacup still sitting there, “we know it’s been a hundred years now.”

“Oh come on,” the black rabbit groaned, lowering his violin, “are the villages _still_ doing this?”

“So we will receive two more today, three more tomorrow, and three after that,” the younger bear sighed, leaning back in his seat as his blue gaze landed tiredly on Blu. “We’re gonna run out of room for these people eventually, m’Lord. Our time doesn’t move fast enough for this.”

“I’m aware, Red,” the golden rabbit answered, shaking his head as he carefully set the child down on the empty seat next to him. Blu watched as he stood up, just barely noticing the silver metal- _crown-_ sitting atop his head, and when those silver-green eyes landed on the shorter rabbit Blu was struck with a feeling of... familiarity. Like he had seen those eyes somewhere before, but he just couldn’t place _where._ “My apologies,” the golden rabbit continued speaking, approaching Blu, “but what you were expecting to happen won’t happen today, or tomorrow.”

“Or ever,” the rabbit who had opened the door for him tacked on, prompting Blu to glance at him. He was leaning back, watching Blu with half-lidded, mischievous eyes.

“I’m _really_ confused,” Blu muttered, glancing around the room. “What’s going on here?”

“We’re havin’ tea and biscuits,” the chicken answered, setting one hand on her hip as she looked at him unimpressed. “And just chattin’ like friends do.”

“The others are elsewhere in the castle,” the pink and white fox added as- he? she?- they moved one of their pieces forward. “Check.”

“Argh!” the other fox growled before moving his king aside and out of harm’s way. The other fox simply moved one of their pieces forward and announced, “Checkmate.”

Turning his attention away from the foxes, Blu’s gaze settled on the... prince? lord? king? He wasn’t even sure what the rabbit was. However, he did note that the golden rabbit, while not as tall as the one who answered the door, was much taller than Blu himself, and he had a long scar across his right eye. His ears stood up on his head, but about midway up the left ear seemed to bow under the weight of thick, heavy fur.

The right ear was cut off three quarters up.

Despite that, the rabbit’s golden fur gleamed almost beautifully in the firelight, and Blu had no doubt that even with his physical flaws he’d have been chosen for the Lottery in a heartbeat.

From what the people there had said so far, though, he thought that it might be completely possible that he had.

Finding his voice again, Blu managed to ask, “Who _are_ you people?”

“Allow me to introduce us,” the black rabbit cut in, approaching the golden rabbit and setting a hand on his shoulder. “My name is Robert,” he started with a smile that would have been charming if it hadn’t revealed teeth _much_ too sharp for any rabbit, “and this is my older brother, Franklin. You can call us Shab and Spring, respectively. That,” he added, gesturing back to the sleeping child, “is our youngest brother, Daniel, but please, call him Plushie.”

He let his hand slip away from his brother’s shoulder and gestured towards the teen bear, who had already stood up from his seat. Supposedly to greet the newcomer, but Blu couldn't help but feel unnerved by how the bear leveled him with rather blank eyes. “This is Alfred, better known as Red, who in the past happened to be my brother’s servant and the future advisor once ol’ Night over there,” he turned his attention to the big black bear who, frankly, _terrified_ Blu, “either quit or kicked the bucket.”

“I was planning on quitting after Spring was officially coronated,” the black bear snorted, shaking his head.

“Right,” Shab agreed with a lazy wave of his hand. “We’re just the original residents of this here _beautiful_ castle. Over here, with the first batch of _Lottery_ participants ever,” he said as he wandered over to the chicken, “we have Francisca, who we all fondly call Chica. You’ll never meet a better cook,” he added with a fond roll of his eyes.

Chica promptly hit him with the empty biscuit tray. “Tut tut, princey,” she muttered, and Blu decided instantly that he liked this girl.

“My feelings are hurt,” Shab sighed overdramatically before moving to the chess-playing foxes. “From the second and fifth Lotteries, respectively we have Drew and Vivien, or Foxy and Mangle as they dubbed themselves.” He pat both foxes’ heads, and the pink and white one- Mangle, Blu guessed as they had been the second one gestured to- playfully snapped at the rabbit’s hand. “Rude.”

“Shab, you’re being annoying,” Red warned the rabbit. Shab simply shrugged before moving around to the masked human holding the teapot still.

“Marion, who came during the fourth the day before darling Shafred did,” he introduced, gesturing with his hand towards the violet bear at the piano. “He doesn’t speak much but when he does it’s best to listen,” Shab added, though whether he was talking about Marion or Shafred Blu wasn’t sure.

There were already too many names for him to remember.

“And this brute here is Bonnie, who came during the _last_ Lottery,” Shab hummed, leaning on the back of the couch over the tall purple rabbit. The purple rabbit- _Bonnie-_ just rolled his eyes. “He came on the last day of the ninth.”

“That’s a big jump from five to nine,” Blu found himself saying, though inside he was trying to do math- _some of these people are well over five hundred years old! How?!_

“The sixth, seventh, and eighth Lottery winners are elsewhere,” Shab dismissed with a wave of his hand. “I’m sure Ballora, Babette, Ferrah and Fiona are upstairs dancing again, Jeremy and Mike are off doing who knows what, and-”

“That’s enough, Shab,” Spring interrupted his brother, shaking his head. “I think he gets the point.” Shrugging, the younger brother headed back over to the violet bear. Spring looked back at Blu, tilting his head curiously. “Now the question is, who are _you?”_

Blu fidgeted with his hands, glancing around at the ten pairs of eyes- the child was still sleeping- on him. Finally, he answered, “My name’s Thomas, but, uh, I prefer Blu.” He paused before adding, “Like the colour but without the e.”

“Well, Blue without the e,” Shab started, and Blu really wished he could grab the nearest teacup and throw it at the rabbit, “welcome to the castle of King Salvage.”

“It’s not so bad,” Bonnie commented from where he still sat, swirling the tea in his cup. “You’ll never die here.” His red eyes glanced up to meet Blu’s emerald, a strange spark that Blu could not identify in them. “It’s funny, isn’t it? That the villagers believe so fully that coming here leads to death when really it leads to near immortality.”

“What?” Blu uttered, confused. “How-”

“This castle exists outside of time,” the younger bear- _Red,_ he told himself- explained simply, blue eyes watching the young rabbit. “That is what the fog does- everything that disappears with the fog... this castle and us... are stuck in time but for three days every one hundred years.”

“Basically time passes,” Mangle spoke up as they boredly flicked one of their companions’ pawns off the board, “but we remain unaffected. We watch as days pass us by, long yet so short...” They glanced at the ceiling. “This is the fifth Lottery since I came here, so it’s been five hundred years. In five hundred years, I have only aged around twelve days- thirteen after this day is done.”

“And we who have been here from the very start,” Shab added with a sigh as he leaned on the violet bear’s shoulder, “have only aged twenty-seven days... twenty-eight after this day is done.”

“It be a curse,” Foxy growled, taking his opponent’s knight. “But I guess it be a blessin’ all the same- after all,” he looked up, amber eyes catching Blu’s gaze, “it be for this that we all have met.”

“And finally I get to age a day,” Bonnie snorted, dropping his now-empty tea cup on the table. “Guys, I was gonna explain this when the _rest_ of the lot got here so we wouldn’t have to repeat ourselves three times every day.”

“Too bad,” Shab sang, earning a light elbowing from his fellow musician. “Don’t be naughty- save it for later, Shafred~”

Deciding he did _not_ want to know the context to that, Blu returned his attention to those on the couches. “So... why has no one told the villagers that?” he asked, confused and not sure how much he believed that. _They could just be trying to lull me into a false sense of security- but why do that when I came here prepared to die?_

There was a short silence before Spring said, “Come with me, Blu.” He turned and walked towards the foyer, breezing past Blu with little to no hesitance, and Blu glanced nervously around. Red waved him off, returning to his seat at last.

Bonnie raised a brow at him. “What, scared?” he asked, prompting Blu to huff and whirl around on his heel to follow the king- who, he mused, treated his “servants” much more like “siblings” than anything else.

 _Of course,_ he mused, _a thousand years is a long time, if what they say is true._

He found Spring waiting on the stairs, and he followed the golden rabbit up. Once they were on not the second floor but the _third_ floor, Blu found himself being led down a long hallway covered in a plush red and gold rug. He followed Spring for what felt like hours but was undoubtedly just a few minutes, and near the end of the hallway Spring came to a stop.

Blu paused, glancing nervously at the door on their left. _The door to one of the towers,_ he knew even before Spring pulled a ring of keys out of his pocket. He watched as the rabbit easily plucked a long black iron key out of the pack and unlocked the door, ducking through to the base of a spiral stairway.

“Follow me,” he commanded softly, and Blu moved to obey. Once inside, Spring closed the door behind them, though he didn’t lock it, and headed up the stairwell, his hand against the stone wall. Blu observed the wall, noting that there were windows evenly spaced throughout. However, the view out was obscured by fog and the fog even seemed to pour into the tower, hovering just above Blu’s head and completely engulfing the golden rabbit.

“Don’t be afraid,” Spring added after a few moments. “None of the steps are broken. It’s safe.”

Taking a breath, Blu followed the rabbit- _maybe this is where I’ll die,_ he mused as he slid his hand along the strangely smooth stone of the tower, heading up into and through the fog.

It felt like forever, but soon Blu found himself standing at the top of the tower in front of a balcony. Just barely through the fog he could see Spring’s form, and he carefully approached it.

“Look out there,” Spring said, his voice carried by the wind. Blu’s ears flattened and he squinted out into the fog. It seemed to shift in front of them, and it faded away for just a moment- allowing Blu just a glimpse of a village on a hill some distance away, sitting just outside the fog. “What do you see, Blu?”

Blu let his gaze slide through the fog, every now and then catching glimpses of what was outside of it. _Three villages,_ he counted, and he said aloud, “just the fog and the villages.”

“That is the only thing we ever see from this castle,” Spring told him softly, barely audible above the wind. Blu realized they were in the highest tower at that moment- the only spire of the castle ever visible from the village. “We only exist in this world for three days every century,” the king continued, leaning his hand against what might as well have been a battlement as he stared out at what Blu suddenly understood to have once been his kingdom, one thousand long years before. “No one outside the fog can see us but for those three days- but we can always see this. Can always catch glimpses of the world outside as it changes and moves on without us.”

“Why don’t you just go out there?” Blu asked, shaking his head slightly. “Why stay here where you’re... stuck?”

“Because we truly _are_ trapped, Blu,” Spring answered, not turning to look the younger in the eye. “The fog keeps us here. To try and return... the fog keeps us here. We can’t even walk on the castle grounds or in the courtyard without feeling lost. The only place _outside_ we dare to tread is here, in the towers or on the balconies.” He finally looked at Blu, a small frown on his lips. “It’s part of the curse,” he explained, letting his hand fall from the battlement, and Blu began to understand. “You can come in, but once you’re in you can’t go out.”

“So the fog shrouds this castle... because it keeps it trapped outside of time,” Blu summarized, and the golden rabbit simply nodded. “But what about the forest around? I mean- the fog descends on _it,_ too- why isn’t _it_ trapped?”

“Because the forest you traveled through to get here is the forest that existed before the one you know,” Spring answered him. “You had to rely on the fog’s guidance to get to this castle, right?” Blu nodded slightly, his ears lowering even more. “You could not see the forest. It was not your forest- it was our forest. The forest that was there one thousand years ago.”

“But what happened to mine?” Blu asked, shaking his head in confusion. “I don’t get it.”

“This castle, its grounds and the forest around exist outside of time... in its own pocket dimension, per se,” the golden rabbit began, turning to head back down the tower. “It exists in your world yet outside of it, invisible most of the time. Every hundred years, that dimension and the _real_ dimension... _touch._ They cross over.” Blu went to follow him quickly, lest he lose the rabbit’s words. “This timeless dimension lays itself over yours- everything that exists here ceases to exist for that period of time, but will be returned once this world fades away again.”

“So it’s like,” Blu hummed thoughtfully, “you guys regain the passage of time while an equal section of our world _loses_ it.”

“That world is no longer your world, Blu,” Spring told him softly, his voice hardly more than a whisper as they descended through the fog. Blu almost froze. “You can return to it no more than we can. The moment you entered our ancient forest, you were trapped.”

The words alone sent a shiver up Blu’s spine, but he said nothing more. The rest of the walk back to the sitting room was spent in silence.

Once they reached the others again- Blu noted Shafred and Shab seemed to have gone missing, and Chica was just entering the kitchen as they arrived- Spring went back to his child brother and carefully took him up in his arms.

The child looked to be hardly seven years old, and Blu hated to think that the child had been seven for one thousand years.

“Bonnie,” Spring started, getting the lop in question’s attention. “Until Blu knows his way around, take care to keep an eye on him, yeah?”

“Sure thing,” Bonnie confirmed with a mock little salute, and Blu frowned slightly. Bonnie looked towards him and gestured Blu over.

Rather than question it, Blu made his way over to the couch to sit next to the rabbit- the black bear on his other side, which made him more than just a little nervous.

“I wonder who else will join our ranks today,” Bonnie mused aloud, leaning back in his seat and glancing over at Blu. “I imagine you’ll know two of them- the villages aren’t that big, after all.”

“I just know who I hope it’s not,” Blu muttered, turning his gaze away from Bonnie.

Even if the Lottery did _not_ lead to death, he knew he still didn’t want his dear friend to join him there. Twelve thousand years was a long time to be eighteen, after all.

The sound of metal on wood echoed around the room, and the residents of the castle paused again.

“Don’t hold your breath, kid,” Bonnie muttered to him, standing up from his seat- undoubtedly to answer the door again. “It’s a small world, after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Considering writing also for Goldie and Freddy as well as Chii, as unsurprisingly all three of them also "win."
> 
> Well, actually, that's not completely true, but brothers stick together.....  
> "Born together, die together," y'know.


	42. Wrong Number, Thank You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was about to do it when his phone vibrated. A look at the text showed it was a wrong number, but he put the pills down anyway. He responded anyway. And he didn’t pick the pills up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is something I wrote a year ago (last edit was in May of last year...) so it's not as good as I could do now. 
> 
> This was the first chapter of a story I had been planning early on that kind of plays with the idea of fate and coincidence. Here's the original Author's Note I had; 
> 
> "This is an idea that came to me randomly one day several months ago. I have always thought it was interesting how you could save someone’s life completely by mistake, which is where this came from."
> 
> The story itself that this was meant to be a prologue (of sorts) for was meant to cover not just a single school year like BTM, but the entire 4 years starting in freshman year and potentially going into college. However, I'm not sure that I'll ever actually get around to writing the story in full, so have this chapter! I needed to update this anyway.
> 
> Title: Wrong Number, Thank You  
> Warnings: Depression, suicide/attempted suicide/suicidal tendencies, hinted child abuse, teacher-bully (in the story overall, not this chapter), Spring is hella good at math  
> Pairings: Pre-Goldie/Spring

He wasn’t afraid. He honestly didn’t have anything keeping him here. Friends? Lost them all. Family? Well, if you counted the shouting and the lectures and criticizing and hitting as being good and normal, everything was just dandy! School? It was easy but... really... who had _time_ for it? He only even went to school to get away from his parents, and even then he hardly did anything because really, what was the point?

All of which got him labeled as _lazy, stupid, drain on society, ungrateful_...

So what was the point? If everyone thought he was just a waste- even _he_ thought that- why not just... end it all? It was quick and... comparably painless, a very simple end to everything. No more arguments and fights, no more painful numbness, no more whispers and rumors, no more being called dumb for not doing the homework, no more being called stuck up for keeping to himself- no more anything. No more pain, no more tears, no more loneliness. No more anything. It sounded _really_ nice.

He snorted as he dumped the contents of the bottle out into his hand, ignoring the tablets that fell onto the bedsheets around him. Yeah, nothing sounded _really_ good right now. Nothing would get rid of the stabbing pain in his chest, nothing would get rid of the aching numbness in his left arm, nothing would get rid of the dark thoughts circling his mind.

A sigh passed his lips. He wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t nervous. He wasn’t sad. He didn’t feel anything about this. Except maybe relief. He clenched his fist around the pills in his hand.

Before he could do anything, however, he felt his phone vibrate. His brow furrowed; both of his parents were at work and no else had his number. _Must be a wrong number_ , he thought, but still he pulled his phone out. He wasn’t sure why- maybe it was some part of him, deep inside that he could not feel, clinging desperately to hope. Maybe it was some deep-seated instinct. Either way, he brought up his notifications to look at the text. It was a text from an unknown, but local, number. He opened it, still not really knowing why, but... Why not?

_‘Hey, Fred, whats the answer to math # 5? I dont get it.’_

One of his ears twitched as he sat there, staring blankly at the phone. He still had the pills clutched in his left hand. For a moment, he debated on whether he should put the phone down and just take the pills or answer and inform the student that he sent that text to the wrong person. With another sigh, he lowered his hand and just dumped the pills into a little pile on his bed. It didn’t matter if they got any bad bacteria on them, really... that would probably only help the process along.

He opened up his phone’s keyboard. _‘Sorry, wrong number. This isn’t Fred.’_ He started to set his phone down when it vibrated again, startling him. His ear twitched, feeling a touch of agitation filter through him as the stranger continued interrupting, but he glanced at the text anyway.

_‘Sorry! New phone, must have typed in the wronf number. Thx for telling me tho, I was about to wait for a reply lol.’_

He quirked a brow at that. He wanted to feel amused, he really did, but... he didn’t. He did, however, feel a small stirring of... _curiosity_.

Curiosity was never a good thing.

His eyes flicked over to his bookbag before leaning over and opening it, pulling out the worksheet he was never going to actually do. He glanced at question number 5.

5) √(x+8) + √(x+15) = √(9x+40).

After about ten seconds he raised a brow at it then glanced back down at his phone. What was so hard about the question? It was relatively simple, honestly...

After a few seconds of debate, he sighed and pulled the keyboard back up. _‘If it’s Ms. Jones’ algebra class, #5s answer is x= 1, -4.244444. If not I can’t help you.’_

Within moments, he got a response. _‘wow, u have Ms. Jones for algebra? & how did u get that answer?’ _

He hesitated. Was he really about to talk about something as useless as homework with a complete stranger? Finally, he sighed and typed out, _‘One moment, I need to write it down. I can’t explain it well.’_

He pulled a notebook out and a pencil, quickly jotting down how he got to the conclusion he got to. Written down, it was a long, long process. He much preferred the mental process behind it- the process his teachers didn’t like and accused him of cheating with. _Another label... cheater._

It took a few minutes, but once he was done he picked his phone up and took a picture of it, barely glancing at the stranger’s response of _‘k wait u did this mentally?’_ before sending the picture, not even answering the question.

The response took longer this time but he didn’t really care. He slid the notebook and worksheet back into his bookbag, not even bothering to jot his answer down on the worksheet. He wasn’t going to live to turn it in anyway. When he next looked at his phone, he had five messages which... startled him, actually. Warily, he opened them up to read.

The first one read, _‘holy hell i have no idea wat any of this is. u actually get this?’_

The second, however, was different. It wasn’t written as informally as the others and had an air of... _alarm_ about it. It read, _‘Wait, why is there a pile of pills on your bed?’_

A curse immediately fell from his lips, his eyes flicking over to the pills still lying on his bed... right next to where he had set his notebook. He’d forgotten about them when taking the picture. _Shit_. He looked at the next few texts, quickly trying to think of an excuse.

_‘Hey are you okay?’_

_‘That’s a lot of pills, dude, are you okay?’_

_‘You’re not about to do anything rash are you?’_

Great, now he’s freaked out a perfect stranger. Feeling guilty- one of the few emotions he could still feel- he quickly texted, _‘Don’t jump to conclusions, I just had a headache and spilled the medicine. I was picking it up when you texted me.’_

_‘Then why are you clearly in the middle of your bed?’_ Was the instant reply.

_‘What, is it a crime for someone to sit on their bed?’_ He shot back, glancing at the pills. He could just take them now... but then the stranger would know who they were talking to the next day. They’d know they were right. For some reason, his heart clenched; he didn’t want that to happen. He didn’t want to be noticed. _Great, am I gonna have to put this off?_

_‘If you say so. Hey, are you actually in my class?’_ The stranger changed the subject, and he instantly knew what they were doing. He wasn’t about to let it happen though.

_‘Dunno. I don’t know who you are.’_ He responded simply enough. He really didn’t.

_‘Goldie Fazbear.’_

He nearly dropped his phone in shock. _Frederick “Goldie” Fazbear?!_ Not only was he among the five most popular freshmen, he was among the three most popular students in the entire _school._ The most infuriating thing was that not only did he have looks, money, _and_ friends, but he also had talent and brains. And to boot, he was known as one of the nicest guys in school.

In short, he was the perfect son, along with his twin brother Freddy.

_Ah. Freddy. Fred. Should’ve seen that one. Damn, I really_ am _stupid, huh?_

Well, he decided, there was definitely no way he was going to tell the “stranger” who he was. Goldie Fazbear was not a bad guy at all, but he had also avoided Spring like the plague. Not that that was hard to do, but when some of your friends make a sport of bullying someone, you somehow manage to avoid them...

With a snort, he responded, _‘Maybe.’_

_‘Dude, not funny. Are you in my class? At least tell me that. Don’t even have to tell me your name.’_

His eyes flicked over to the pills. _Dammit dammit dammit he’ll know if I go through with it._ He sighed in frustration and responded again.

_‘Yes. I’m in your algebra class. But I won’t tell you who I am, even if you ask in person or guess it.’_

_‘Wow dude you really don’t want me to know who you are, huh?’_

He gave a wry smile. _No, I don’t. And even better, you’ll suspect me even less when I again don’t have my homework._

_‘Sorry, Fazbear, but I’m not a basket case that needs someone keeping an eye on me,’_ he informed the bear. _‘I know what you’re thinking and you’re wrong.’_

Only he _wasn’t_ wrong and that made him a bit... mad. It faded as quickly as his curiosity and shock had, though, leaving nothing in its wake. Just a numb emptiness.

_‘Oh yeah, it isn’t what I think. Even though the label clearly says it’s an antidepressant.’_

He stared at those words for several silent seconds before looking at the bottle. Again, he hadn’t realized that had been in the picture. He let out a small growl and responded, _‘No, it’s not what you think. And so what if they’re antidepressants. Stay out of my business.’_

Finally, he shut his phone’s screen off and tossed it onto his bedside table, ignoring the way it vibrated. In frustration, he grabbed the pills and poured them back into their bottle, knowing if he went through with it now then Goldie Fazbear would know who he was talking to the night before. He didn’t want that. He didn’t want to be noticed. Besides, no one wants to think they could have saved someone but didn’t try hard enough.

Even if that person was Franklin “Springtrap” Salvage.

* * *

The golden bear let out a frustrated growl as none of his texts were even read. He felt worried about the stranger. Goldie Fazbear was many things, but a blind idiot was _not_ one of them. He could put two and two together.

“Dammit, you,” he groaned, sending another text to try and get a response from the stranger despite every text being marked as unread. Then he went back to the picture of the notebook with an empty pill bottle and the large pile of pills almost out of frame but still noticeable. He scanned the image for any clues- fur, reflection, a name, a bookbag, anything- but there was none.

Instead he concentrated on the handwriting.

The handwriting was unfamiliar. It was dark, heavy, confident strokes, but there was a daintiness to it with the way the letters curved and slanted on the page. There were no eraser marks but he dismissed that easily enough.

“Dammit, I don’t recognize this handwriting,” he complained, letting his head fall down against his desk. From the room next door he could hear Freddy shifting about, probably getting ready to go out with his friends because _he_ didn’t wait until night to do his homework. _Maybe I should ask Freddy for advice._

After several seconds of thought, he sighed and shook his head. “No,” he decided, staring at his phone again. “Freddy can’t help with this.”

As he stared at the image, though, something began standing out to him. The way the numbers and letters were slanted... It looked like they had been written at a strange, unfamiliar angle, on the back of a page so the spiral wires in the notebook were on the right…

_Oh my god, whoever this is is left handed,_ Goldie realized triumphantly, a grin sliding onto his face. “There are very few lefties, this should make it much easier to find you,” he said to the phone, though he decided not to text his realization to the stranger. One, they probably wouldn’t even read it, and two, if they did they might try to hide their left-handedness if they were so determined to not be found out. “Let it be known that Goldie Fazbear is no idiot and I will find out who you are, strange math person!”

“Goldie? Who in the world are you talking to?” A voice from outside his door called and Goldie winced; was he really _that_ loud?

“Ah, don’t worry, Fred!” His gaze slid back to his phone, back to the numbers and letters and parentheses that gave it away. “I just think I’d make an excellent detective.” He sent one last text before setting his phone aside and continuing with his homework.

_‘I’m not letting this happen, you hear me?’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goldie's phone is new and he has yet to input his contacts, so he typed in Freddy's number instead of walking right next fucking door because teenagers. Unfortunately, he typed one of the digits wrong... coincidence? Fate? You decide ;)
> 
> Fun fact, when I wrote this it was the first time I made Spring left-handed. Since then he's been left-handed in all my stories.
> 
> Give the lefties some love <3
> 
> (and for those of you who don't know, YES, you can definitely tell when writing is done left handed. I currently know 3 lefties and their handwriting is very distinct, and this is coming from someone who mixes print and cursive... obviously it's because of how they have to write- since we write left to right...)
> 
> I might post what I had written of the second chapter (never finished it or wrote beyond it) later, who knows.
> 
> Also I wrote this before I gave Foxy the last name Jones, so Foxy (Drew Jones for those of you who are unaware) has no relation to Ms. Jones.


	43. Truth (Mazey Lives!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This oneshot is related to "Between Loyalty and Morality." 
> 
> So guys, I'm sorry for the sudden long pause, a mix of depression and school got me! XD I'm graduating college this week and heading off to uni after this, but I have an entire summer...
> 
> But I have some bad news. I want to start focusing on writing my book.
> 
> Now this doesn't mean I'm leaving FNaFiction behind because I love my stories too much to do that, but it certainly does mean that updates will take longer. I'm really sorry about this!
> 
> Now onto the oneshot
> 
> Title: Truth  
> Warnings: Eh  
> Pairings: Pre-Bonnie/Blu, pre-Spring/Blu (because yes this is one of THOSE AUs haha)

They ran towards the wreckage, confusion written across their faces. The rounded ship seemed to have somewhat...  _ splatted _ on the ground, debris and flaming wires scattered around in a circle while the metal was blackened and peeled back, undoubtedly due to the force of it crashing through the atmosphere.

Bonnie shared a look with his brother, neither of them sure of what to think, before they cautiously began approaching the wreckage.

When they caught sight of motion, they paused and watched as a small blue Rabbit stumbled out of the remains of the ship. His clothes were ripped and splattered with blood, and the Rabbit’s hand was clamped over his side that was, undoubtedly, ripped open. He wore only one shoe (and after a moment Bonnie caught sight of the other, inside the ship and burning) and his fur was singed, but the Rabbit was alive and otherwise safe.

There was only one problem... it was a Lapinian.

The Rabbit lost its footing and fell to the ground with a muted yelp, and Bonnie and Spring shared another look.  _ Should we kill it?  _ Bonnie asked silently, and Spring just shrugged.  _ Looks like it did a good job of that on its own, _ was the silent response. Bonnie looked back towards the Lapinian, frowning.

“Chief said the soldiers were talking about a traitor,” Bonnie muttered, studying the Rabbit. “A Lapinian traitor. The soldiers are supposedly hunting for it.”

“Do you think that’s it?” Spring asked, seeming skeptical. “It looks too young.”

When the Rabbit didn’t move to push itself back up, the brothers continued towards it. They stopped right in front of it, frowning down at the curly fur matted with blood and blackened by fire. As far as crash landings went, Bonnie mused, the Rabbit had gotten off lucky.

“Not impossible,” he finally said. The Lapinian’s ears twitched and slowly it looked up at them, letting Spring and Bonnie finally get a look at his face.

He paused; the Rabbit was definitely young, he realized, younger than Bonnie had first thought. Its- his, he determined after a second or two- stared at them with a lost, dazed, somewhat-pained expression-  _ somewhat pained, he should be in agony right now. _ His eyes, emerald green, seemed to reflect the nature around them- a stark contrast to the silver and black remains of his ship.

The Lapinian blinked at them, as if trying to process what he was seeing, before his eyes widened. Bonnie figured he must have realized exactly how much danger he was in, and suddenly the Rabbit was rushing to his feet and-

He didn’t run away. Bonnie leapt back with a startled cry as the Lapinian jerked  _ towards _ them, reaching out a hand. He managed to grab Spring, who immediately yelped, “Let go of me!” However, the Rabbit didn’t let go; instead, before either Lacatran could react, he slipped something on Spring’s wrist- something silver and somewhat cracked but otherwise safe, and Bonnie knew whatever it was the Rabbit had purposefully kept safe. “Hey, don’t put your stupid-”

“A-aton,” the Rabbit stuttered out, cutting Spring off, “A-aton, prote deman.”

Bonnie and Spring shared a confused look, and Bonnie began approaching the Rabbit, ready to grab him and physically remove him from his brother. “Crazy Lapinian,” he growled, reaching out for the Rabbit.

“Atona: Prota Demon!” the Lapinian repeated urgently, suddenly jerking at Spring’s arm. Bonnie grabbed him, pulling him away from Spring.  _ “A-aton- aton-” _ then the Rabbit fell into a coughing fit, covering his mouth as he did. Bonnie, somewhat disgusted, glared at him.

“Is he trying to speak Lacatran?” Spring suddenly asked, frowning. 

“I dunno,” Bonnie said, moving somewhat away from the injured Rabbit. “It sounds like he’s trying to say  _ Atona: Prrota Demana, _ but what in the world would-”

_ “Atona: Prrota Demana,” _ a voice with a strange mechanical quality suddenly repeated, and as  _ something _ shot up from the screen on the little wrist device, the Lapinian physically relaxed.

Spring yelped as he looked at the words on the strange translucent screen, furrowing his brow. “What the hell is this?”

The Lapinian jerked forward again, reaching to the screen and just managing to hit one of the...  _ things _ floating there before he collapsed again. Bonnie watched him, confused, but the Rabbit didn’t move again.

“What the,” he heard Spring breathe, so he turned to see what had his brother’s attention. The golden Rabbit was staring at the words. “Is this for real...?”

“What is it?” Bonnie asked, moving around to read over his brother’s shoulder. It didn’t take long to see what it was about.

Immediately, anger flared through him. “Those bastards,” he growled, grabbing his brother’s shoulder. “If they think they can get away with this they have another thing coming!”

“Honestly,” Spring agreed darkly, scrolling through the files quickly. “Why did the Lapinian want us to see this so badly, anyway?”

Bonnie glanced down at the Lapinian, who still hadn’t moved. He seemed to be barely breathing... there was very little chance he would survive.

Without medical care, there was no chance at all.

“If he  _ is _ the traitor they were talking about, that would be a pretty good reason,” Bonnie muttered, looking back towards the device. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing towards a small symbol at the bottom of the files. Spring shrugged and, hesitantly, hit it.

Instantly, the files disappeared and were replaced by a three-dimensional, translucent scene. The center of the scene seemed to be the device itself, and the small blue Rabbit lying at their feet was wearing it.

He pocketed something as a familiar Rabbit walked into the room, staring at his own device.

“Bandi,” Akrai Cator started, looking at the shorter Rabbit, “did you not hear me call you five minutes ago?” There was an overlay in the voice- the words didn’t match the movement, and Bonnie realized it was being translated on the spot.

“Sorry, father, I must have been focused on my work,” the teen responded, his face straight. Bonnie couldn’t hear what he was feeling, though- the voice overlay practically destroyed any emotion.

However, he did catch one thing...  _ father. _ Immediately his distaste for the apparent traitor doubled, and he glared down towards the injured Lapinian.

The general commander looked unimpressed at the teen. “When I left you were saying that the planet is wholly uninteresting and holds no value for Lapinia.”

The teen seemed to finally start getting nervous, his eyes darting around for a split second before he answered, “That does not mean I should slack on my work.” After a few moments of awkward silence, he added, “Actually, Father, I was wondering if I could join the other scientists to analyze the information we’ve gathered.” Cator’s gaze flicked to the screens behind the teen, and Bonnie could see his expression darkening. “Just to, you know-”

“Bandi,” the elder interrupted coldly, and the younger flinched before following his gaze to the screens.

His eyes widened, though what was wrong Bonnie couldn’t figure out. He looked downright horrified.

“Bandi,” the elder Cator repeated, drawing the younger’s attention back to him. “You accessed my private logs.” It wasn’t a question or even an accusation- it was a statement.

Bonnie couldn’t tell if it was because of the voice overlay or not.

The teen’s fists clenched. “You told me this was scouting,” he accused, and Bonnie  _ knew _ it was an accusation. “You didn’t tell me what we were scouting for was a weapon’s testing ground.”

“It was none of your concern,” was the snappish response as the elder began in the younger’s direction. Instantly, the younger moved away- it was somewhat confusing, as his movement moved the entire perspective, but Bonnie tried to concentrate on Cator’s expressions anyway.

“You were expecting  _ me _ to help build those old fashioned explosives,” the younger Rabbit declared defiantly, angrily. “Like  _ hell _ it wasn’t my business!”

“You’re a scientist  _ soldier _ and I am your  _ commander,”  _ Cator hissed, and Bonnie could tell he was hissing by his expression.. “On top of that, I am your  _ father- _ you have no right under  _ any  _ law to question my decisions or my authority!” Bonnie and Spring shared a confused look at that. “You will do as you’re told-”

“I  _ refuse _ to play a hand in  _ genocide!” _ the teen interrupted fiercely, and Bonnie watched as Cator’s eyes narrowed at his son. “I refuse! I don’t care if they’re colonists who’d kill us on sight if they could-  _ they’re still Rabbits _ and I  _ refuse _ to help you destroy them!”

A few seconds of silence passed as the teen seemed to realize his mistake, his ears naturally falling down as he stared fearfully at his father and commanding officer. Bonnie actually felt sorry for the small Rabbit.

Akrai Cator began approaching the frightened teen, his hand raising to his hip. “Disobedience is grounds for punishment,” the Rabbit stated simply, and though he kept walking he didn’t grab whatever he was reaching for. He stared down at the younger Rabbit, displeasure and anger clear in his features- it was an expression Bonnie remembered from ten years ago, as the general commander looked down upon young, dying Lacatran children. “However,” Cator continued dispassionately, “as you’re my son, I will give you a chance to retract your statement, and your punishment will be much more merciful- fitting of a  _ son _ rather than a  _ soldier.” _

It was at that moment that Bonnie realized that Akrai Cator was threatening his own son’s life, and that didn’t sit well with him. Suddenly he felt pity for the younger again.

The teen stared back at Cator- and even though he then lowered his gaze, as was typical of submission, Bonnie already knew the choice he made.

He was, after all, lying at their feet, injured and now hunted by his own people.

“My apologies,” the hologram said. “Of course, Father.”

“Good,” Cator growled. “I expect my log is still inside the computer.”

“Yes, Father.”

The elder Rabbit huffed and pulled his weapon from his hip. “You’d make a terrible spy,” he commented, bringing the butt of the weapon down onto the teen’s head. It made an audible sound as it connected, but the teen did no more than flinch. “Get out of here, I’ll deal with you  _ officially _ later.”

“Yes, Father,” the Rabbit agreed, hurrying towards the door without running. The moment the door was shut, however, he broke out into a frantic run, passing by a few other Rabbits with absolutely no explanation whatsoever.

Bonnie had thought that would be all, up until a sharp sound echoed throughout the hallways. The Rabbit flinched and quickly silenced his own- it was coming from the device, he realized- and darted down a more narrow hall. It was only a few seconds after that that he dove into a smaller ship and hit something, forcing the doors to close, and he stumbled as he lost his footing; the ship detached from the larger vessel.

_ He’s running away. _

The teen did things that Bonnie and Spring simply didn’t understand, but after a few moments they heard, “Bandi Cator!” The Rabbit barely glanced at the screen where his father’s face was. “Stop this at once or we  _ will _ shoot you down!”

“I’ll die anyway,” was the teen’s response as he didn’t even slow down doing... whatever it was he was doing. “Might as well die trying to do something  _ right _ for once!”

“Bandi Cator! You’re-”

“Lapinia is wrong,” he- Bandi Cator, Bonnie understood from all the shouting- interrupted. Somewhere in the background a voice echoed, but it wouldn’t translate. “Lapinia is wrong and I won’t stand for it any longer.”

And then Cator’s face was gone and the scene jerked as the ship flew off. It settled once again and the teen on screen relaxed, leaning back and covering his face with his hands. He was silent for a good minute or two, clearly thinking to himself, and Bonnie almost determined that that was it- but then the Lapinian dropped his hands and spoke aloud again.

“I can’t change this,” he said, pulling something out of his pocket- a little stick-like device.  _ The log Cator was talking about. _ “It’s done and over.” 

The recorded message stopped right then, as he dropped the stick to the ground.

Bonnie and Spring looked towards each other, then back towards the injured Rabbit.

“So,” Spring started, “not just a traitor, but also the general commander’s son himself. Wonder what would happen if that information got out.”

In the distance, they heard voices. They were speaking in Lapinian.

“They’re coming,” Bonnie hissed, starting to back away. “Let’s go before they find us here.”

“What, and leave the kid?” Spring asked, gesturing to the Rabbit. He looked conflicted. “I know he’s Lapinian but- hell, the Lapinians would probably  _ kill  _ him.”

“And so would the other Lacatrans,” Bonnie pointed out, scowling. “And so would his wounds. We  _ can’t _ take him.”

“But he just gave us this,” Spring countered, pointing towards the wrist device. “We can’t just leave him here, Bonnie! Besides,” he added, glancing down at the Rabbit in question. “He’s Akrai Cator’s son and a wanted traitor. He could be of use to us.”

Bonnie paused and considered it, frowning. The voices were getting closer. “Fine,” he agreed after several seconds of silence, “but  _ you’re _ the one who’s gonna have to tell others they can’t come to our house right now.” He quickly pulled the smaller Rabbit into his arms, ignoring just how light he was, and darted to the tree line opposite of where the voices were coming from. Spring was quick to follow.

“Right, right,” Spring agreed, glancing back over their shoulders. Hopefully they’d be long gone before the soldiers showed up. “We’re probably gonna have to find some way to hide him... our house is way too close to the crash site.

“We’ll figure it out,” Bonnie excused as they reached the house and hurried up the ramp and onto the porch. Spring pushed the door open for him and Bonnie went inside, quickly setting the unconscious Rabbit down on the couch. “You’re the one who knows healing, Spring- get to work.”

Spring stuck his tongue out at Bonnie, but he bounded off to grab the necessary supplies. Meanwhile, Bonnie frowned down at the small, fragile-looking Lapinian.

_ You’re a soldier, _ he remembered, observing the Rabbit. He was slight, with thick curly fur and a strange natural flush across his cheeks. His eyes were closed, but that only seemed to emphasize the length and curl of his eyelashes, and despite his short stature he somehow appeared lanky- much too skinny, he thought, to be even somewhat healthy.

In short, this little blue Rabbit did not look like he was soldier material.

Spring returned with medical supplies, and he began patching the teen up. Bonnie watched, unable to help at all as he did not focus on healing.

After all, Bonnie was a soldier too.


	44. Caught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Blu's family becomes concerned about his strange behavior, they follow him only to discover a terrifying secret...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been slowly but surely working on everything (Lakeview Road is almost ready for another update!) but real life's been kicking my ass. Therefore, have a oneshot from the Ribbons AU!
> 
> If you don't remember the AU, "Ribbons" and "The Worth of a Sky" will remind you.
> 
> Title: Caught.  
> Warnings: The AU contains romance and mature themes with robots, sentient robots, etc. There's not really any specific warnings for this scene, though.  
> Pairings: Pre- Original/Toys, Goldie/Spring, Shafred/Shabon

He was caught.

He felt frozen to the spot, green eyes wide as he stared back at his family, hand still gripping Bonnie’s arm. The Robots around him seemed equally shocked, none of them making a move to explain.

Spring and Shab looked horrified, and Mangle looked somewhat faint. Chii was glaring at the Robots and Red seemed... indifferent but for the icy gleam in his eyes.

“Blu,” Shab started, taking a hesitant step towards him, “get over here and away from those... those...” The rabbit’s voice trailed off and he swallowed as six pairs of robotic eyes settled on him.

“Guys-!” Blu yelped suddenly, letting go of Bonnie’s arm. “This- uh, this isn’t what it looks like!”

“Not what it looks like?” Mangle practically shrieked, their eyes wide. “Blu! You’re- they’re- it’s-!”

“Friends of yours?” Bonnie mumbled, glancing at Blu.

“Friends? We’re his siblings,” Chii declared, stepping forward bravely and yanking her Destabilizer off of her hip. “Get away from him!”

“How sweet,” Foxy snorted, stepping forward from his place behind Freddy. “A fleshbag with-”

“She can understand us, too,” Shafred noted, gaze scanning over the Organics.

“Chii, really, it’s okay,” Blu said, trying to placate his sister. “Really- I promise they won’t hurt you if you don’t hurt them, just- just put the Destabilizer away.”

“You’re wired!” Chii said with a scowl; if anything, her grip just tightened. “They’re Robots, Blu! They _kill_ our kind, and you, what? You’re playing _house_ with them?!”

“Chii, stop,” Red suddenly said, stepping forward and grabbing her shoulder before she could start advancing. “They’re not attacking.”

“At least one of them’s smart,” Chica noted dryly, magenta eyes scanning over the cherry-tinted bear. Red looked back, none too impressed.

Blu could feel his heart finally starting to slow down again- it would not do to have his family fighting his new friends. As it was, however, it seemed like neither side would attack, with the exception of Chii, without provocation.

“Look,” Blu started, pretending he wasn’t as nervous as he felt, “let’s just talk about this. No one attacks anyone, and... and... wait, what are you guys doing out here?” he asked, furrowing his brow. “The river’s the other way.”

“We followed you,” Red explained, crossing his arms and raising a brow. “You’ve been acting strange for weeks now and we were concerned.”

“Rightly so,” Spring uttered, eyes still on the Robots. “L-Look, even if they’re not attacking, Blu, can you please get over here?”

“Nope,” Bonnie answered before Blu could, hand dropping down on the smaller rabbit’s shoulder. “Sorry, but you gotta share your baby brother now, goldie-locks. He’s our friend and has been for a good few weeks now.”

“Friends?” Shab almost whispered, shaking his head in dismay. “Blu, how-?”

“Like I said, we can talk about this,” Blu barrelled on, briefly attempting to brush Bonnie’s hand away from his shoulder. It didn’t work, the Robot’s hand stubbornly keeping hold of him- as if not wanting to let him go back to his family.

“Then let’s talk about it,” Red said, watching Blu. Chii lowered her Destabilizer but didn’t put it back on her hip. In response, Foxy seemed to back down a bit and Blu felt Bonnie’s grip loosen as the Robots around him relaxed. “Why don’t you introduce us to your... friends, Blu?”

“Um, right,” Blu sighed, stepping away from Bonnie. The Robot let him, simply looking at him expectantly as he moved between the two groups. “Right. Um, guys, these are my siblings- we were raised by the same man in Camp,” he explained, “but Spring and I have the same parents. We’re, uh, twins.”

“Spring?”

“Me,” Spring answered, eying the Robots warily as he stepped forward, his hand grabbing Blu’s arm- as if he could protect him should the Robots turn hostile. “I’m the older one.” It was, of course, a warning, and Blu could tell by the expressions crossing the Robots’ faces that it was received loud and clear, and not at all appreciated.

“Right,” Blu said a little louder than necessary, swatting Spring’s hand away from him. “This is Spring, and this is Shab, Red, Chii and Mangle,” he introduced one at a time, gesturing to each one as he said their name.

“A pleasure,” Freddy said in a tone that told Blu it definitely was not, in fact, a pleasure. “I’m FRD-002 / Y.”

“What?” Spring raised a brow. “What kind of name-”

“It’s a model number,” Goldie interrupted, eying the rabbit critically. “Mine’s FRD-001 / Y.”

“And I’m FRD-003 / Y,” Shafred added quietly, tilting his head at the Organic beings. “FRD just denotes that our models are based on bears. We were the first three made of our era.”

“The era that began the attacks,” Red noted dryly, raising a brow.

“Realistic and hard to tell apart from Fleshbags. The Y denotes that we were designed after males.”

“That’s... interesting.” Blu had to give Red credit, he did sound _almost_ genuine. Almost. Not quite.

“Anyway,” Bonnie continued, waving a hand dismissively in the air, “I’m BN-27 / Y. BN denotes that we’re based on rabbits, but I think you get the point of that already.”

“FX-84 / Y,” Foxy said gruffly, turning his head away and not expanding any more on it.

“CHC-4 / A,” Chica said, crossing her arms. “The A indicates female.”

“For the record, no one’s gonna remember a string of letters and numbers,” Mangle told them, looking nonplussed.

“We know,” Freddy snorted. “You’re Organic, of course you wouldn’t remember.”

Blu decided that right then was not the time to mention their near-perfect memories. Instead, he cleared his throat and turned back to his family. “Actually, uh, I kinda gave them names... granted, uh, they don’t really use them but they don’t mind when I do.”

“Oh great, here we go,” Bonnie sighed, rolling his eyes. Blu pouted. “Go ahead, I’m sure they’ll prefer to not recite a book every time they say our names.”

“They have no reason to say our names,” Chica pointed out. Blu, however, chose to ignore her.

“They’re Bonnie,” he started, “Freddy, Goldie, Shafred, Foxy and Chica.”

“How’d you come up with those names?” Chii asked, raising a brow, as Spring’s eye twitched.

“Oh my gods, Blu,” he started, turning to look at his younger twin, “did you seriously _pun_ their names?”

Blu’s face flushed. “They’re not puns!” he defended, lightly shoving Spring. “I mean Goldie’s is, and Shafred’s kinda is- but they’re not puns!”

“You based their names off their models!”

“So? What was I gonna do, write down names and pull them out of a hat?”

“You-”

“Stop arguing!” Red interrupted the twins, stepping forward to break them up. “You know, this is the _last place_ you want to be difficult,” he added to Spring, shooting the taller rabbit a look.

Spring huffed and looked away. “Those are stupid names.”

“Yeah yeah, hello pot, I’m kettle,” Blu snipped back, crossing his arms.

“Get it together, you metalheads,” Red hissed, patience running thin.

“Are all of your insults based off of Robots?” Bonnie asked from right beside Blu, startling all three Organics. He was watching them with a raised brow, a hand on his hip, and Blu noticed Spring’s breath get caught, and Red take an instinctive step back.

“Well, yeah,” Blu scoffed, not all that perturbed by the Robot’s presence, “and all yours are based on Organics, so.”

The Robots all shared a look before Goldie broke from the others to join Bonnie. Red and Spring both took several steps back, and Chii’s grip tightened on her Destabilizer, but the bear didn’t seem too bothered. “Are all Organics so jumpy?” he asked, tilting his head at the group.

“Yes,” Bonnie confirmed.

“Huh, interesting...” Goldie went to take another step closer but Bonnie threw his arm out to stop him. Goldie glared at the Robot rabbit, but refocusing on the Organics he asked, “So are these family units normal in the Camps? Does everyone have a twin? What does it mean when-”

“Ignore him,” Freddy sighed, stepping forward and grabbing Goldie’s shoulder. “He’s an organ chaser.”

“Organ chaser?” Spring squeaked, and even Blu flinched at the phrasing.

“Yes. Organ chaser,” Freddy repeated, pulling Goldie back towards the other Robots. He raised a brow at the golden rabbit. “You know- he’s curious about Organics and their civilizations and history.”

“He even _eats Organic food,”_ Bonnie added in disgust, shuddering. “He _likes_ the way it feels.”

“What?!” Goldie seemed genuinely offended. “So what? And it tastes good! What’s the use of being made to taste when you don’t eat anything? Besides, you know the models that came before us ran off organic fuel like that, anyway!”

“There’s no reason for _you_ to eat it!” Bonnie shot back, glaring at his friend and teammate. “It’s gross! We get our energy from electricity and-”

“There’s no logical reason for half the things Robots do,” Freddy pointed out, shaking his head. “Except that we get bored.”

“We’re made to enjoy some simple pleasures,” Chica scoffed, looking at Bonnie. “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.”

Bonnie just shook his head, somewhat dismayed- Blu could practically tell he was thinking, _I’m surrounded by bonies._

“Wait...” Chii suddenly started, getting the Robots’ attention again. She looked unsure. “Robots can... eat?”

“We can do a lot of things,” Freddy answered her. “At least our models, we can eat organic food, though we have no reason to and many of us feel no drive to, and I suppose our re-energizing could be compared to your sleeping.”

“Not tae mention all the other things we’re built tae be able tae do,” Foxy added with a grin. “Aye, how technology’s improved since them ol’ days.”

“Now Robots can do all sorts of things our predecessors couldn’t,” Chica continued all too happily. “We have physical senses, though I doubt they work the same way you fleshbags’ do, and with that comes all the pleasures involved. But that’s just it- they’re for pleasure, not necessity.” She seemed overly smug about that, Blu thought.

“And with the homeostasis fluid inside our ‘skin’,” Goldie said, “we can go into biomes we otherwise would never have been able to reach. Like this forest- it’s too damn hot, here,” he added in complaint, frowning.

“The skin, too,” Shafred reminded Goldie, raising a brow. “Without the skin the fluid wouldn’t work, and our wires and metal would still be exposed to the elements. We can even swim, thanks to the skin... if you’re brave enough to risk it, mind you. When you’re metal, swimming is just all around a bad idea.”

“You sink, more often than not,” Bonnie explained needlessly to the Organics. “Plus, if there’s even a tiny hole in the material, you can say 'goodbye' to all your internal mechanisms. No thank you.”

The other Robots all nodded in agreement. Blu figured he could understand- a flooded system was at best a trip to a mechanic and at worst a fatal blow. He was sure, had most of them not had the... skin, the Camps would have fought back with water instead of electricity.

Blu glanced at his family, noting they all looked very wary- Chii still held her Destabilizer, and Mangle’s hand was hovering near their own hip as if prepared. Spring’s shirt was pulled up, the Destabilizer in view, but to his credit his hand was firmly at his side, and Shab was wringing his own hands together worriedly.

Red seemed to be the calmest, least nervous of them, his Destabilizer out of sight and arms simply crossed over his chest. If it weren’t for the telltale twitching of his cut ear, Blu would have almost thought he was okay with this.

The Robots, on the other hand, seemed to have completely calmed down and lost their hostile air, much to Blu’s relief.

_Maybe,_ he thought, _if the others see they’re not so dangerous, they’ll be more willing to let things be._

Of course, knowing how protective the entire family was, Blu knew he’d have no luck there.

_Okay if that won’t work... well, one person trying to help six Robots figure out this whole “living” thing is hard. Maybe they’ll be willing to help... a Robot per Organic._ But that was dangerous, he realized- there was no telling how any of them would react when he wasn’t there.

As he realized the Robots had fallen silent, and everyone was looking at him again, he took a breath and prayed to whatever deity watched over them that everything would work out.

He had to trust his family, and he had to trust his friends. He hoped he wasn’t making a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: In the AU itself, Red is blind. However, this oneshot was written before I decided he would be blind so some of his actions here might indicate sight. In the final version of this AU, whenever I actually get to writing it, this scene will be slightly different to accommodate blind!Red.


End file.
